First Reading (Isaiah 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 my right? Let that man confront me. See, the Lord GOD is my help; who will prove me wrong?
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 116: 1-6, 8-9)
Refrain: I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
1) I love the Lord because he has heard my voice in supplication,
Because he has inclined his ear to me the day I called. (Refrain:)
2) The cords of death encompassed me; the snares of the nether world seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow, And I called upon the name of the Lord, "O Lord, save my life!" (Refrain:)
3) 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. (Refrain:)
4) 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. (Refrain:)
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 me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
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 whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it."
[Text from: Lectionary for Mass Volume I, Copyright 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright 1970, 1997, 1998 Contraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
The English translation of some Psalm responses, some Alleluia and Gospel verses and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, some Summaries, and the Titles and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass copyright 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc., Washington D.C. All rights reserved.
The poetic English translation of the sequences of the Roman Missal are taken from the Roman Missal approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, copyright 1964 by the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Inc. All rights reserved.]
The Archbishop of Paris once told a story of three cynical young men who were visiting the cathedral of Notre Dame. On a dare, one of the young men entered the confessional booth and made a false confession to the priest. The priest wasn't fooled by this arrogant atheist. He assigned the young man an unusual penance: to stand in front of the crucifix in the sanctuary, look into the eyes of Jesus, and say three times, "All this you did for me, and I don't give a damn." The young man and his friends snickered as they entered the sanctuary; might as well carry the dare to the end. But as he looked into the eyes of Jesus, the young man had trouble finding his voice. He announced, "All this you did for me, and I don't give a damn." The second time, his voice faltered as he said, "All this you did for me, and I don't give a damn." But the third time, his voice failed him altogether. The young man returned to the confessional booth and made a sincere confession to the priest. Later, that same young man entered the priesthood and went on to become none other than the Archbishop of Paris. (1)
In our gospel passage, Christ asks his disciples the provocative question: "Who do you say that I am?". Later on, he goes on to admonish them that whoever wishes to follow him must take up his cross and follow him. In this story, whether he acknowledged it or not, the future Archbishop of Paris had answered the question "Who do you say that I am?". When he entered the church, Christ meant nothing to him. But by the time he left, he was willing to sacrifice his life for him.
Today, I would like to cut right to the chase with you. Each of us must answer for ourselves the question which Christ posed to his disciples. If Christ means nothing to us, than we can look at him crucified for our sins and say "I don't (care) give a damn". But if we realize the extent of his love for us through his suffering and death on the cross, then we must be willing to follow in his footsteps and carry our own crosses, whatever they may be.
I came across the following story which I believe exemplifies what carrying one's cross meant to one young boy.
- When he was six years old, Charlie was diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer. Although an operation was performed to remove the tumor and the gland, Charlie was not given much of a chance for survival; in fact, the doctors gave him only six months to live. Undaunted by the news, Charlie enrolled in the second grade, did well in his studies, and made a new best friend. As he grew older, his breathing became more labored. This did not stop him from playing Little League Baseball, however. He would bat and his best friend would run the bases for him. It was soon discovered that the high altitude of the mountains in Utah, where he and his mother lived, was compounding his breathing difficulties. When they would go to visit friends in California, he would breathe much easier, and was able to run and do things he couldn't do in Utah. On one visit to California, while he and his mother were on the beach at Malibu, Charlie told his mom that he wanted to be able to live and die there on the beach in Malibu because it was so beautiful.
His mother was determined to fulfill his wish, so she placed an ad in the area newspaper asking for someone to let them live with them in return for her services as a housekeeper. Instead, the local paper did a feature story on Charlie. The next day someone offered Charlie and his mother their "extra" house on Malibu beach to use free of charge.
Charlie outlived the doctors' predictions. He did live in constant pain, having to carry around an implanted tube for injecting pain killer directly into his spine. However, the most remarkable thing about Charlie's story is that his wish for his 12th birthday was not to receive any presents, but to give presents away. So Charlie and his closest friends took all of the money Charlie had saved from gifts and presents that people had sent him, and spent it at Toys 'R' Us to buy toys for children in the hospital. When he ran out of money, Toys 'R' Us matched him dollar for dollar so he could buy more. Then Charlie, his mother and some friends distributed them in two nearby hospitals for children.
But he still wasn't satisfied. One thing he wanted to do was to give his body so that the researchers could find a cure for his disease. Not for himself - it was too late for him - but for other children, "So," he said, "they won't have to go through what I have." He gave blood and tissue samples, often enduring painful procedures to help the researchers. As he did so, a new-found peace pervaded his life, and the suffering that he endured began to take on meaning.
And Charlie got the best present of all. Before he died, he received the news that because of his help, the researchers had discovered a gene that caused the rare condition he had. Because of this, children who have histories of this disease in their families can be tested for the gene, and if it is present, the doctors can remove the thyroid before the disease has a chance to start. By giving of himself, Charlie had made it possible to save the lives of countless children in the future. (2)
By suffering and dying on the cross, Christ enabled all of us to gain eternal life. In his own way, Charlie carried his cross too, and, in doing so, enabled other children to live fuller lives than he did. In the same way, we are called to carry our own individual crosses, whatever they be: loneliness, poor health, the disappointment of our children, failure to achieve our goals in life or the loss of a loved one unexpectedly. No matter what they are, we can find strength in knowing that Christ endured his suffering and cross just so that he could empathize with us on our earthly journey. For the ladders which lead each of us to heaven are made from the wood of the cross.
1. From Lift High the Cross, by Robert C. Morgan, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), pp. 36-37.
2. Adapted from a story which appeared some years ago on 20/20.
(Copyright 2015 by the Spirit through Deacon Sil Galvan, with a little help from the friends noted above. Permission is freely granted for use, in whole or in part, in oral presentations. For permission to use in writing, please contact the human intermediary at deaconsil@comcast.net.)
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Lord Jesus, you became one like us, suffered and died on the cross so that we might have eternal life. Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you have taught us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow you. Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the Messiah, the Son of God. Lord, have mercy.
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time(B)
September 15, 2024
Celebrant: As the prophet Isaiah has reminded us, the Lord God is our help no matter what adversity may arise. Therefore, confident that he will hear us, we bring our prayers and petitions to the Father.
Deacon/Lector: Our response is "Lord, hear our prayer."
That the leaders of the Church will be living examples of what it means to deny oneself and follow in Christ's footsteps, we pray to the Lord.
That the leaders of the nations of the world will come to respect the beliefs of all those entrusted to their care, we pray to the Lord.
That the sick, the elderly and those who are grieving the loss of a loved one may find comfort in the One who suffered for them, we pray to the Lord.
That the Lord will bless the efforts of our catechists to instruct our children in the ways of the faith, we pray to the Lord.
That the Lord will open the hearts of their students to hear his Word and put what they have learned into practice in their lives, we pray to the Lord.
That all those whose lives have been affected by natural disasters, including Hurricane Ida and the fires in the West, will be strengthened in their efforts to rebuild their lives and not give in to despair, we pray to the Lord.
That all of our brothers and sisters will be treated as our equals in the sight of God regardless of their race, color, nationality or religion, we pray to the Lord.
For all of the intentions we hold in our hearts and which we now recall in silence. (Pause) For all of these intentions, we pray to the Lord.
Celebrant: Merciful Father, you sent your Son to teach us your ways. Grant us the grace of your Spirit to willingly deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow in his footsteps. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.