The disciples accept Jesus as the Messiah, but they still don’t have a clue about what that really means. Jesus wants to take them up to the next level, to have them fully understand what it means to follow him. He tells them that to be a Christian means to serve, not to lord it over people.
How do you stay engaged when troubles come, when the answer isn’t the one you wanted? It may be that it’s that beautiful liturgy. But, it might also be a nagging question that you’d like to bring out into the open. It might be joy, or creativity, or weeping, or anger, or sadness. These are all ways that we stay engaged. And whatever it may be for you, it’s a step up from walking away.
Rich or poor, or somewhere in between, in Christ’s love you can take it with you… we can, and we will, get there from here.
We can be comforted by the fact that God is still the one God, a God of integrity, not divided. God’s heart, mind, and lips are always on the same page even when ours aren’t.
Not a word of what Jesus said to the children is recorded in scripture, but what a powerful lesson he preached. He swept aside the barriers raised against the children. He did not just talk to them of God’s love. He held them in that love. He blessed them with it.
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if
The “Jesus franchise” belongs to Jesus alone… not to any person or institution, however exalted. In his infinite wisdom, God blesses us all in our diversity and in our unity. In this morning’s gospel, Christ has a final word for any of us who might find our brother or sister’s faith not exactly to our taste: Your life has been salted… flavored by the love of Christ.
Has our competitive peripheral vision made us blind to Christ’s clear message of love right before our eyes?
Mark 8:27-38 In this week’s gospel Jesus offers us a verbal Rorschach Test. He asks: Who do you say I am? And the answer to
To the cynical, the distracted, the bored, Jesus commands: Ephphata… Be opened! Open your hearts. Open your minds. Open your senses. Open your will to believe.