Sunday Reflections with Fr. Obute Anthony

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
{Is. 50:5-9, Jm. 2:14-18, Mk. 8:27-35}

Theme: “OUR SUFFERINGS WILL LEAD TO GLORY”

There was a time in the history of the Roman Empire when the emperors, reigning in glory and glamour, were not just respected but were also worshipped. Consequent upon this, in those days, the citizens of Caesarea Philippi-a territory under the Roman rule-would say, “Caesar is Lord”; an acclamation of tribute and reverence which made them loyal Roman citizens.

Years went by and as Jesus embarked on His missionary journey with His disciples, He chose this same territory of Caesarea Philippi to interrogate His disciples on their knowledge of his personality and his saving mission. Now, Caesarea Philippi was a town about twenty-five miles north of Bethsaida, sitting at the foot of beautiful Mount Hermon. This town was named after Augustus Caesar and Herod Philip and it contained a marble temple dedicated to Augustus. It was in the tetrarchy of Herod Philip who gave it his own name to distinguish it from the Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast and because of his close ties to Caesar Augustus, he named the territory as such (Caesarea Philippi) and dedicated it to the glory of Rome.

Some metaphors stare at us if we pay an attentive ear to the gospel and cast it against its historical backdrop. In the first place, Peter would profess faith in the Living Lord at the same place where people, for many decades, had ignorantly deified men and worshipped them, making them (emperors) look like God. Secondly, whereas the people who inhabited Caesarea Philippi worshipped emperors that they never knew personally, Jesus’ interrogation was directed at the disciples to evoke a personal confession of faith. Little wonder that Peter would speak out to the admiration and commendation of Jesus. Truly, Peter’s confession revealed the unique identity and the saving mission of Jesus Christ.

Peter spoke well and his answer was quite revelatory but Peter was an unstable man. One minute he was led by God to confess his faith in Jesus Christ (Mk. 8:29), and the next minute he was thinking like an unbelieving man and expressing the thoughts of Satan! (Mk. 8:33) Peter’s protest was born out of his ignorance of God’s will and his deep love for his Lord. One minute Peter was a ‘Rock’ and the next minute he was a ‘stumbling block’! Notice that the same Peter who knew that Jesus is the ‘Anointed Saviour’ would now rebuke Jesus as Jesus was ‘scheming out the path of salvation for us’. True to the words of Jesus, the salvation He brought for us was bought with the prize of suffering and through the way of the cross.

Peter, like the rest disciples, did not want to hear this and so when Peter spoke they nodded in agreement. No wonder the rebuke by Jesus was open for all the disciples to hear; for they all agreed with Peter’s assessment of the situation! Steeped in Jewish traditional interpretation, they were unable to understand how their Messiah could ever suffer and die. To be sure, some of the prophets had written about the Messiah’s sufferings, but much more had been written about the Messiah’s glory. Some of the Rabbis even taught that there would be two Messiahs, one who would suffer and one who would reign. No wonder that Peter and the other disciples were confused. Peter loved Jesus but did not want to accept God’s method; for he did not yet understand the relationship between suffering and glory.

Like Peter, many Christians today are still yet to understand the relationship between suffering and glory. We are yet to be convinced that the crown always come at the end of the cross. We do not want to be patient to learn the truth that life is a struggle where pain leads to gain. We think that because we are anointed children of God we should be immune from suffering and hardships. We think that we should be totally free from necessary existential challenges in life just because we are devoted Christians. Obviously, this was the thinking of Peter and it was certainly not God’s thinking but the desire of man.

If Jesus who is the Anointed Saviour would tell of His future suffering and patiently undergo such suffering at the appropriate time, then all we need to do is only to pray for the grace to accept the negative things that may come our way, enduring them in hope and believing that God will manifest His glory at the end. The message of Jesus today further teaches us that life is a venture with lots of baggage and we are destined to see good as well as evil days; we cannot help but experience sweet and sour things and we will definitely see roses as well as thorns as we journey through life. This is why we have to be opened to these eventualities and face each day in the hope that everything will end in the praise of God and for the good of all those who love God (Rom. 8:38). To think or desire only good and jolly times in life is both deceptive and deceitful.

At times, life is even so mysterious and paradoxical that we may even be paid back in evil coins by those to whom we have rendered our help or for whom we have sacrificed much. However, St. James tells us in the second reading today that doing good is the only way to show that we have a ‘Living Faith’; a faith that has practical dimension and a Christianity that is not just about creed but also about deeds. Yes, our faith ought to have definitive expression in our daily Christian life and ventures.

Peter learnt this lesson and would even emphasize it in his first epistle where he teaches that there is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while…. (1Pt. 1:6-8). Elsewhere, he says: “Be very glad, for these trials make you partners with Christ in His sufferings, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to the entire world….” (1Pt. 4:13-5:10). Yes, suffering is part of our human lives but we Christians have hope in our suffering. When we suffer, it is not towards a futile end but with the hope that our suffering will win us God’s acceptance and eventual glory.

This is what we notice in the third song of the Suffering Servant in our first reading today where, although his suffering is vividly described, he is not left without God’s assistance and vindication. You will notice that for four times in this passage the Servant uses the name “Lord God” (Jehovah Adonai) which can be translated as “Sovereign Lord” meaning that ‘God is the owner of each member of the human family, and that He consequently demands the unrestricted obedience of all’. So the emphasis here is on the Servant’s submission to the Lord God in every area of His life and service. His mind was submitted to the Lord God so that He could learn His work and His will.

Like this suffering servant prophesied by Isaiah and personified in Jesus, may we have an “opened ear” that helps us to hear and obey the voice of the Master who tells us today that the way to life is to die daily to the glory of the world and to embrace the cross in solitude. Know that the philosophy you accept determines how you live and thrive. Do not be deceived to seek elusive consolation in the satanic philosophy of ‘glory without suffering’ but bear your crosses and trials patiently in the hope that eventually our sufferings will be transformed into glory; for this is God’s philosophy and the example of Christ.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!