Loving Path of God

Weekly Missionary Reflection
24th Ordinary Sunday, 15 September 2024
Isa. 50:5-9a; Ps. 115:1-2,3-4,5-6,8-9; Jas. 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35

In today’s Gospel, we are invited to reflect on our choice of life as the followers of Jesus Christ. In referring to Jesus’ question to His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”, we will have our answers. We have heard the teachings about Jesus, or we still remember what was taught by our religious teachers. We might have our understanding of Jesus through the witness of others. However, if we dare to take a moment to reflect on Jesus’ question, what will come to our mind?

Jesus asked this question for He knew His time was short. He wants to know how far the disciples, His closest people, understood His mission. Peter showed his understanding by saying that Jesus is the Messiah. However, we must bear in mind that the idea of Messiah from Peter and the people of the era of Jesus is different from the one that Jesus taught.

The Messiah that Peter and the people imagined is a rescuer who would fight the invaders and eliminate any kind of suffering. The Messiah that Jesus offers is someone who comes with the glory of God’s love that surpasses any form of suffering even the cross.

Jesus would like to say that even though He didn’t want to suffer and die on the cross, He had to take the path of suffering for this is how God shows His highest love. Suffering and misery can never defeat love. Jesus doesn’t offer a shortcut by making miracles. So don’t we try to find a shortcut in caring for others too? None of us wants suffering, yet we understand and realize very well that when we give ourselves to love, there is always a cross before us.

Dear brothers and sisters, who is Jesus for us? May the Holy Spirit within us guide us to recognize more and more the path of love that Jesus offers to us. God bless. 

(Br. Kornelius Glossanto, SX – Xaverian Missionary)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy and sorrow in the unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of the Indonesian Church this month:

Universal Church Intent: For the cry of the earth
We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and victims of natural disasters and climatic change and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.s

Indonesian Church Intent: Biblical Figures
We pray that Catholic children, teenagers, and youth can find the figures in the Scripture as their idols and models in living their daily lives.

Amen.