The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to accept the role of servant who may suffer in living faith through our works to be disciples of Christ in our environment.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah declares Salvation through the Lord’s Servant.
* [50:4–11] The third of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4); in vv. 4–9 the servant speaks; in vv. 10–11 God addresses the people directly.
* [50:5] The servant, like a well-trained disciple, does not refuse the divine vocation.
* [50:6] He willingly submits to insults and beatings. Tore out my beard: a grave and painful insult. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 50 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 116 offers thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness.
* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions. (Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of James declares Faith without Works Is Dead.
* [2:14–26] The theme of these verses is the relationship of faith and works (deeds). It has been argued that the teaching here contradicts that of Paul (see especially Rom 4:5–6). The problem can only be understood if the different viewpoints of the two authors are seen. Paul argues against those who claim to participate in God’s salvation because of their good deeds as well as because they have committed themselves to trust in God through Jesus Christ (Paul’s concept of faith). Paul certainly understands, however, the implications of true faith for a life of love and generosity (see Gal 5:6, 13–15). The author of James is well aware that proper conduct can only come about with an authentic commitment to God in faith (Jas 2:18, 26). Many think he was seeking to correct a misunderstanding of Paul’s view. (James, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, after Peter’s Declaration, Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection and shares the Conditions of Discipleship.
* [8:27–30] This episode is the turning point in Mark’s account of Jesus in his public ministry. Popular opinions concur in regarding him as a prophet. The disciples by contrast believe him to be the Messiah. Jesus acknowledges this identification but prohibits them from making his messianic office known to avoid confusing it with ambiguous contemporary ideas on the nature of that office. See further the notes on Mt 16:13–20.
* [8:31] Son of Man: an enigmatic title. It is used in Dn 7:13–14 as a symbol of “the saints of the Most High,” the faithful Israelites who receive the everlasting kingdom from the Ancient One (God). They are represented by a human figure that contrasts with the various beasts who represent the previous kingdoms of the earth. In the Jewish apocryphal books of 1 Enoch and 4 Ezra the “Son of Man” is not, as in Daniel, a group, but a unique figure of extraordinary spiritual endowments, who will be revealed as the one through whom the everlasting kingdom decreed by God will be established. It is possible though doubtful that this individualization of the Son of Man figure had been made in Jesus’ time, and therefore his use of the title in that sense is questionable. Of itself, this expression means simply a human being, or, indefinitely, someone, and there are evidences of this use in pre-Christian times. Its use in the New Testament is probably due to Jesus’ speaking of himself in that way, “a human being,” and the later church’s taking this in the sense of the Jewish apocrypha and applying it to him with that meaning. Rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes: the supreme council called the Sanhedrin was made up of seventy-one members of these three groups and presided over by the high priest. It exercised authority over the Jews in religious matters. See note on Mt 8:20.
* [8:34–35] This utterance of Jesus challenges all believers to authentic discipleship and total commitment to himself through self-renunciation and acceptance of the cross of suffering, even to the sacrifice of life itself. Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it…will save it: an expression of the ambivalence of life and its contrasting destiny. Life seen as mere self-centered earthly existence and lived in denial of Christ ends in destruction, but when lived in loyalty to Christ, despite earthly death, it arrives at fullness of life.
* [8:35] For my sake and that of the gospel: Mark here, as at Mk 10:29 equates Jesus with the gospel. (Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Fernando Rashimi, S.J. comments that Saint Ignatius of Loyola teaches, it is our knowledge of Christ that propels us to love Him, which in turn inspires us to follow Him.
Peter, with both divine guidance and human vulnerability at work within him, stands as a model for our own relationship with Christ. In light of this, we must ask ourselves today:
What is my personal relationship with the person of Christ today?
What have I learned about myself through my relationship with Christ?
How do I answer Jesus’s question to me today, “Who do you say I am?”
What steps can I take today to deepen my knowledge of Christ, so that I may love Him more ardently and follow Him more closely in the days to come? (Rashimi, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Peter confesses that Jesus is God's Anointed Son and Savior of all,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"You see the skillfulness of the question. He [Jesus] did not at once say, 'Who do you say that I am?' He refers to the rumor of those that were outside their company. Then, having rejected it and shown it unsound, he might bring them back to the true opinion. It happened that way. When the disciples had said, 'Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, that some prophet of those in old time has risen up,' he said to them, 'But you, who do you say that I am?' Oh! how full of meaning is that word you! He separates them from all others, that they may also avoid the opinions of others. In this way, they will not conceive an unworthy idea about him or entertain confused and wavering thoughts. Then they will not also imagine that John had risen again, or one of the prophets. 'You,' he says, 'who have been chosen,' who by my decree have been called to the apostleship, who are the witnesses of my miracles. Who do you say that I am?'"(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 49) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 8:27-35 comments that seeing the risen Jesus on Easter Sunday changed everything for them. (His disciples) After all the ways they had failed him, he still came back and offered them the same love he had shown them all along. He still came back with the assurance of his forgiveness despite their sin. He still came back and entrusted them with the mission of sharing this love with the whole world. He even gave them his own Holy Spirit to empower them for this mission!
Jesus wants to do for you everything he did for his disciples. No matter what you have done or failed to do—no matter what you will do or fail to do—his love continues to flow out to you. Gaze at his cross today and receive that love!
“Jesus, I praise you for the victory—and steadfastness—of your love for me!” (Meditation on Mark 8:27-35, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the third of the Songs of the Suffering Servant from Deutero Isaiah and the connection Jesus makes with the suffering servant and the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel. The understanding of the Son of Man had evolved from originally referring to the people of Israel to the concept of a messianic figure in Jesus' time. Friar Jude notes the difficulty of Peter in hearing he must “take up the Cross” to follow Jesus.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, writes of the essential Christian call to nonviolence. He introduces nonviolence teacher Ken Butigan who understands God’s love to be at the center of nonviolence.
Nonviolence takes another approach. Practitioners of nonviolence seek to become their truest selves by slowly learning to love all beings, confident that all are kin and that we are called to embody this kinship concretely, especially in the midst of our most difficult and challenging conflicts…. Nonviolence is committed to challenging and resisting every form of violence. Nevertheless, it does not conclude that the opponent is absolutely and irrevocably incapable of loving or of being loved. To love the perpetrator … is a creative and daring act that seeks to provoke all parties to make contact with their true self, the undefiled reality of God which dwells at the center of their being. In short, their sacredness.… The greatest work of nonviolence is to create situations which free the sacredness of ourselves and our opponent. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate, with inspiration of the Spirit, the connections between suffering and salvation, faith and works, and service and sacrifice.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 50 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/50?
James, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/james/2?14
Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/8?27
Meditation on Mark 8:27-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/15/1073095/
Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?1
Rashimi, F. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/091524.html
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Nonviolence Is an Act of Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/nonviolence-is-an-act-of-love/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep15
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