Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Many of us remember where we were 20 years ago yesterday, September 11. Firefighters, police officers and emergency medical teams risked their lives to rescue people from the tragic events at the World Trade Center, Shanksville and the Pentagon.

 I knew around a dozen people who were killed at the World Trade Center, including fire chaplain Fr. Mychal Judge, a fellow Franciscan and a victim of that tragedy.

 So, let us pause for one minute to remember the nearly 3,000 victims of that tragedy and those who lost loved ones and pray for them in this liturgy.

The word of God today takes us back to the 6th century before Jesus. The second section of the Book of Isaiah describes a mysterious servant of God. This servant, despite all kinds of physical and verbal abuse, carries on the mission God entrusted to him

The early Christian community saw in this servant Jesus, the suffering Messiah. The author may be inviting us to persevere in our life of discipleship despite the “noise and dissonance” that may surround us.

The letter of James challenges us to practice what we believe. Our faith in Jesus should compel us to reach out compassionately to others, to generously give time, talent and yes, some of our treasure to those in need.

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” He begins to confide in the disciples about his ultimate purpose: he must suffer the agony of the cross so that he can experience the ecstasy of the resurrection. When Peter balks, Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan.” Nothing will prevent Jesus from fulfilling God's purpose for him: re-connecting us to God.

Now, Jesus may be asking us: who is Jesus for me? What do I mean to Jesus?

The early Christian community initially saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the hopes of ancient Israel. And so, they called him the Messiah, the Christos, the anointed one.

But the more they reflected, the more they saw Jesus not only as the fulfillment but the foundation of their hopes. The eternal Word! The Gospel according to John captured this magnificently: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 Yes, Jesus was the foundation and fulfillment of their hopes and ours as well.

 So, who is this God-man Jesus seeking our friendship? He was a real historical person, flesh and blood. He experienced, as we do, fatigue, hunger, satisfaction, joy, friendship, anger, disappointment, loneliness.

 He was a teacher, a prophet preaching that the kingdom of God was breaking into our lives. He worked signs and wonders, proclaiming that good ultimately would triumph; he possessed authority to forgive wrongdoings; he promised eternal life.

 He had a unique relationship with God; in fact, he was one with God, true God and true man. He was crucified, died and then raised up in glory. And he is alive in our midst today.

Jesus taught that we can share in this kingdom of God by living a life of discipleship.

How? By living prayerfully in the presence of God (Our Father); by seeing in Jesus the Word made flesh, the face of God's Son (hallowed be Thy name); by recognizing that our lives do have an ultimate purpose (Thy Kingdom, Thy will); by reaching out generously with our daily bread; by experiencing the presence of the living Christ in the Eucharist (forgive us our trespasses, illuminate us in the scriptures, and transform us in communion); and by being ready to let go of our earthly life so that we can be one with God in glory forever.

 

Our compassionate God is always near each day to guide us.

 Jesus then challenges us to “take up our crosses.” To this end, I share an old story about a mother in China whose only son died suddenly. In her grief, she pleaded with a renowned monk: “With what prayers, what magic, can you bring my son back to life?” The monk told her: “Find a mustard seed from a home that has never known sorrow. We will use that seed to drive the grief out.”

So, the woman set off in search of such a seed. But wherever she looked, she found one tale after another of misfortune. She became so involved in helping these other people that she forgot her own grief. Her quest and relationships had driven the heartbreak out of her own life.

We, like Jesus, will experience the gamut: love and friendship, pain and disappointment.

Jesus challenges us to follow him, to become the kind of person today that Jesus was in his day. He tells us his yoke is easy. We may face our doubts, but let's follow him. For the only Gospel some people may ever know is you and I and how we live our lives.