17-Feb-17

Gospel MK 8:34—9:1
Jesus 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.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
Reflection:
Jesus tells us that if we want to "follow" Him, we must "deny" ourselves and "take up" our cross. In other words, we must not live for self but live for the sake of others.
Like Jesus, we can choose to bear our burdens and sufferings on this earth as sacrifice.
We can give purpose to our suffering by offering it to God as a gift for the sake of others.
In sickness, we may pray, "Lord, please accept my pain and discomfort. I bear it willingly and ask you to send your blessing, not on me, Lord, but on my grandson that he may be relieved of his desire for alcohol and drugs."
'What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?"
Jesus is not saying that there is anything wrong with wealth. He is saying that the riches, rewards and pleasures of this world are no assurance of life after death. In fact, riches cannot even guarantee anyone happiness in this life.
In today's gospel, Jesus makes clear the way to be with Him today and always: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me."
Jesus is not out to win a popularity contest. In today's world He would not likely be a successful politician; His formula for success is not one that would attract many votes.
But, Jesus was not out to win votes. Jesus' purpose and sacrifice was offered to save souls, yours and mine.
"As we give, we find that 'sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven' and in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all."