September 16, 2012 – Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 50:5-9a; Ps 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; Jas 2:14-18; Mk 8:27-35
As Christian disciples, we live our lives for Christ, and today’s readings give us a clear reminder of what that means.
Jesus Himself tells us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”
We are called to give of ourselves completely for the sake of gospel. Following in the Lord’s footsteps, we live to serve one another in love.
The first reading reminds us that this call is far from simple.
“I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting,”” the prophet proclaims, foretelling of the Messiah’s mission as a suffering servant.
Yet, we live the call, we preach the gospel, we bear witness to the truth of Christ, because we know that He is the only way to true fulfillment. He is the one who offers us true happiness. And, most especially, we live our lives for Christ because we recognize that our lives are not our own. They are gifts from God, and we are blessed to live them as such.
