24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s Saint: Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen

Entrance Antiphon (Sirach 36:18)

Give peace, Lord, to those who wait for you and your prophets will proclaim you as you deserve. Hear the prayers of your servant and of your people Israel.

Opening Prayer (Faithful in God’s Service)

Let us pray that God will keep us faithful in his service

Almighty God,

our Creator and Guide,

may we serve you with all our heart

and know your forgiveness in our lives.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Alternative Opening Prayer ( Peace of Christ)

Let us pray for the peace which is born of faith and hope.

Father in Heaven, Creator of all,

look down upon your people in their moments of need,

for you alone are the source of our peace.

Bring us to the dignity which distinguishes the poor in spirit

and show us how great is the call to serve,

that we may share in the peace of Christ

who offered his life in the service of all.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Reading (Is 50:5-9a)

The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear;

and I have not rebelled,

have not turned back.

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 Lord God is my help,

therefore I am not disgraced;

I have set my face like flint,

knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

He is near who upholds my right;

if anyone wishes to oppose me,

let us appear together.

Who disputes this right?

Let that man confront me.

See, the Lord God is my help;

who will prove me wrong?

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116)

R: I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

I love the Lord because he has heard

my voice in supplication,

because he has inclined his ear to me

the day I called.

R

The cords of death encompassed me;

the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;

I fell into distress and sorrow,

and I called upon the name of the Lord,

“O Lord, save my life!”

R

Gracious is the Lord and just;

yes, our God is merciful.

The Lord keeps the little ones;

I was brought low, and he saved me.

R

For he has freed my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

I shall walk before the Lord

in the land of the living.

R

Second Reading (James 2:14-18)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to you from my works.

Alleluia

R: Alleluia, alleluia.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

R

Gospel (Mark 8: 27-35)

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it”.

+ + +

Commentary on this Week's Gospel:

When reading today’s Gospel reading in the New American Bible, St. Joseph Edition, one will notice that the reading has three educational footnotes. The first addresses verses 27-30, giving a brief explination of what religious and theological scholars refer to as the “Messianic Secret”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_Secret

The people of Jesus’ own day thought that he was a prophet, teacher (Rabbi), and wonder-worker.

- The people did not believe him to be The Messiah of Israel; if anything, they may have viewed him as a messiah who would save them from societial and religious oppression or suppression.

- Even today Muslims, Hindus, Druze and other religious groups view Jesus as being a prophet, teacher(Rabbi), and/or wonder-worker; some view him as a Bodhisattvah or Enlightened One.

- These views are NOT discredited by Jesus himself in this passage.

- Jesus was willing to work with the theological and social ideologies of his day to help people grow in love and to come into the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

- Jesus and the gospel writers understood (as explained in the footnote) that there were many ideas, expectations and beliefs about WHO The Messiah was going to be, WHAT he was going to do, and HOW he would accomplish it.

- In order to not have to confront prejudices for and against The Messiah, Jesus avoided the topic entirely.

- Rather than trying to get people to see things his way, he simply carried out his mission by traveling, teaching, preaching and working wonders.

- He let his ACTIONS speak for themselves.

This links today’s Gospel reading to the second reading: let people judge who and what you are by your actions.

If you are a follower of God, and a member of The Kingdom, then the signs of this should be visible in ALL ASPECTS of your life: you relationships with friends, family and lovers; your interaction with and influence on the community in which you live; the politics and foreign policy of your State that you endorse and support; the words that you speak to people you meet in the street; how you treat members of society that are viewed as “the disadvataged”, “the poor”, “the rejected” and “the forgotten”. (These are but a few examples of where a person’s true faith should be visible)

- The message of Jesus is that if a person really follows Jesus’ message of hope and love, then we will see it by their works and actions, not merely from the words they say telling us they are “about love” or “are devout Christians”.

The footnote ends with a reference to Mt 16:13-28.

- This section of scripture can be seen as an “extended remix” of today’s gospel. Combination of Markan material with material from the “Quelle Gospel”.

- This edition has the additional information that Peter is called Peter “bar Jonah”.

- This means that Jesus’ discourse was meant to reference the meaning of Jonah in Hebrew literature tradition

- Jonah represents a narrow and vindictive mentality

- this ideology/worldview was common among Jewish believers of the Jesus’ time

- the “chosen people” status makes them more “human” and moral than other peoples

- this worldview led to a racist, bigoted, and intolerant nationalism

- the bigoted, narrow-minded and fundamentalist beliefs of people like Jonah limit the mercy and justice of God towards their people

- This discourse links the intolerance of the past to the religious establishment of Jesus’ day (both Jewish and Roman Pagan).

“It is a parable of mercy, showing that God’s threatened punishments are but the expression of a merciful will which moves all men and women to rement and seek forgiveness. The universality of the story contrasts sharply with the particularistic spirit of many in the post-exilic community.”

The second footnote deals with the term “Son of Man”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_man http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=965&letter=S

- Reference to the Son of Man in the Hebrew Bible and Catholic Old Tesatament is made in Daniel 7: 13f while the Orthodox Christian Old Testament adds I Enoch, and 4 Ezra.

- The meaning of the name “satan” is actually Sheitan in Hebrew

- In Jewish literature “sheitan” is “the adversary” or something like a “prosecuting attorney”

- not inherently evil

- necessarry for the order of the Universe

- part of the Jewish concept that “All good and all evil come from God and are a part of Him. Nothing can have existence independent of God.” (see Job 1:6-12, 2:1-10)

The third foornote discusses the concept of “taking up of the cross” and the concept of how one is to be an “authentic disciple”.

- This concept is especially important in Zen Catholicism

(see Graham, Dom Aelred. Zen Catholicism. Crossroad Publishing Co. : New York, NY. 1963.)

Update on the Pope’s Comments:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14866559/site/newsweek/print/1/displaymode/1098/ Newsweek Article

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-2361364,00.html TimesOnline Article

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901060925-1535767,00.html Time Online Article

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14866559/site/newsweek/ Newsweek Article

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/pope_muslims_text Text of the Pope’s Speech

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060918/ap_on_re_eu/pope_muslims Yahoo!News Article

http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/article_full_story.asp?service_ID=11958 One of the Effects of Benedict XIV’s speech

http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/article_full_story.asp?service_ID=12456 AlJazeera Online Magazine Article