Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed.  And we proclaim this, of course, one with Peter and all the Church.

Peter gets to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ.  And the latter tells his disciples right away to speak about it to no one.  He then teaches them that the Christ must suffer much, hang and die, and rise after three days.

That is to say, to be the Christ means to be the Servant that suffers as the prophet Isaiah has it.  Hence, they should take and proclaim him so as the Christ.  If they do not do so, it will be better, yes, if they do not speak of him at all.

No, Jesus does not want them to just go along with those who do not understand what to be the Christ means.  For these take the Christ as the liberator who will defeat the Romans who rule over them and oppress them.  And so as not to leave room for lack of understanding, he speaks openly to his disciples.

Still and all, they do not grasp what he says about the suffering, death and rising of the Christ.  In fact, the one to proclaim him first as the Christ rebukes him.

But the one rebuked returns rebuke for rebuke.  Then, he tells the crowd and his disciples that to follow the Suffering Christ means to suffer also.  For to save their life is to lose it for his sake and that of the Good News.

Know the right way to proclaim Jesus, the Christ

We say today that we follow him.  Yet we, too, find it hard to grasp that we must lose our life to save it.  We believe, yes, in the rising from the dead.  But do we not take it to be no more than the vindication of the just who has suffered injustices?  Or is it for us just triumph over suffering and death (Comentarios al evangelio #1), the prize for success?

But be it as it may, the teaching is, yes, this:  to rise from the dead, to be saved, this cannot but pass through suffering, death, loss.  That is to say, one must go and die.  For to hang and die at the hands of those in power is what awaits those who do not turn back.  Those who seek to proclaim the truth (Comentarios al evangelio #6).  For self-sacrifice is the only means to save the world.

Hence, it is not that we love pain.  It has to do, rather, with love for God and the neighbor.  Only if we love will the world be more just, caring and fit for humans, and life worth living.  And we shall taste here on earth the joys of life in heaven.

Lord Jesus Christ, we live since you give us your body to eat and your blood to drink.  May the life you give us lead us to give up our bodies, too, and shed our blood for you and for others, and thus proclaim you, by words and by works, as the Christ. Grant us the grace to live like you, so that we may die like you (SV.EN I:276).

15 September 2024
24th Sunday in O.T. (B)
Is 50, 5-9a; Jas 2, 14-18; Mk 8, 27-35