Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
MARKED WITH THE CROSS
Our first reading expresses the desire for mutual understanding, respect and tolerance: ”If we could only speak all the same language!” The author uses the occasion to ridicule the proud Babylon that destroyed nations and cultures. “Babal” means “to confuse” in Assyrian. Babylonians deserved a monument for confusing people.
Being a disciple of Jesus implies journeying with Jesus on the way of the cross. Christians, followers of Christ, are people marked with the cross. We make the sign of the cross not merely symbolically when we pray but also in real life, whether we like it or not. We have to learn to accept the cross with Jesus.
Reading 1 Gn 11:1-9
At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down. They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them well.” They used brick for stone and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let’s make ourselves famous so we won’t be scattered here and there across the Earth.” God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built. God took one look and said, “One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they’ll come up with next—they’ll stop at nothing! Come, we’ll go down and garble their speech so they won’t understand each other.” Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. That’s how it came to be called Babel, because there Godturned their language into “babble.” From there God scattered them all over the world.
Gospel Mk 8:34—9:1
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
“If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”
Then he drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
Prayer
God of power and love,
in your mercy, you sent us your Son
to liberate us by his cross
from our selfishness
and from fear and sin and death.
Make us grow in the mentality of Jesus
and fill us with the strength of his Spirit,
that we may bear life’s burdens with him
and with him also take the pains
to live for others and to bring them hope and joy.
May we thus, go the way of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reflection:
17 February 2023
Mark 8:34-9:1
God does not deny nor reject us.
Evangelist Mark emphasises to his community that following Jesus would also mean to accept the way of the Cross. While writing the Gospel, the event of the crucifixion of Jesus that had happened over 20 years ago was still vivid in his mind. Cross was a symbol of torture and shame. The believing disciples began to grasp the meaning of the Cross only after the crucifixion of their Master.
Over the centuries, ‘Cross’ has become spiritualised and today, we use it to refer to all the difficulties and inconveniences that confront us. In the time of Jesus, and of Mark, this word had only one meaning – torture and death. Death by crucifixion was reserved for enemies of the state. Crucifixion was the most shameful, excruciatingly painful and prolonged death imaginable.
At the time when Mark wrote his Gospel, the word “Cross” was relevant to the disciples who were being persecuted under the Roman rule. By writing this passage about the requirement of “taking up the Cross”, Mark was warning his community in Rome to be prepared to bebrutally killed for their faith in Jesus.
Mark reminds the disciples about the possibility of loss of life which would happen gradually. Jesus had asked his disciples to deny their selfish selves, to give way to the needs of their brothers: to deny oneself to give life to one’s brethren.
Losing one’s life would also mean the experience of denying one’s ego, denying one’s selfishness. This death of the ego and death of selfishness are basic conditions for the life that Jesus offers. In Jesus’ mind, this denial of the self would be the absolute necessary condition for becoming genuinely human.
Care should be taken not to mistake the meaning of Jesus’ saying that “If anyone is ashamed of me and of my words… the Son of Man also be ashamed of him when he comes in the Glory of his Father.” Jesus is certainly not revengeful. Peter had denied Jesus not just once, but thrice. Yet, Jesus did not reject him, instead made him the head of the apostles.
Jesus call us to love our enemies, to be ready for the cross, to give up everything for the poor. Failing to do that is to deny Jesus, yet still he waits for our return.