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Reflection on this Sunday's scripture readings
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Isaiah 50:5-9 Psalm 116 James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35
The readings today highlight the place of suffering in the life of Jesus and the prophets before him. In the first reading we hear what is known as the third Suffering Servant song. Here the servant, maybe Isaiah himself, speaks with a tone of resignation about the contemptuous treatment and persecution he will endure. His consolation is that the Lord, who had disclosed words of revelation to him, would uphold him and show him to be a true prophet.
After Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah in today's gospel, Jesus went on to describe the sufferings and death he would endure. This teaching was incredible to the disciples whose view of the Messiah was someone who would deliver them from their enemies and usher in a new era of peace and tranquillity for Jerusalem and all her inhabitants. A suffering messiah who would be put to death did not fit into this. Jesus, however, rebuked Peter for his human thinking. Anyone who wants to follow him, he said, must follow the same path of dedication and acceptance as he himself had done.
One way of coping with our sufferings is to unite them with the sufferings of Christ. Just as Jesus and the prophets before him embraced their sufferings, so can we. In this way we will "walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living". Read today's psalm slowly and dedicate yourself to the Lord once again.
St James tells us that faith without works is useless but sometimes living out our faith is costly. Reflect on the difficulties you encounter in living out your faith.