Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 10: 32-45

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, 
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, “We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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As a priest, I’ve been invited into some of the most celebratory moments in people’s lives.  

I think of standing at the altar, witnessing young couples exchange their vows before God… Baptizing babies… Offering children their first Communion… and so on.

But I’ve also been there for the darker, more difficult days, when people drink from the “cup” of the Lord as described in today’s Gospel.

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Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified. Meanwhile, he overhears James and John arguing about who will be the greatest in his kingdom.

So, he pulls the disciples aside and asks them, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?” … Ignorantly, James and John respond, “We can.”

They have no idea that this “cup” of the Lord entails his suffering and death.

Yet, in a matter of years, they will, in fact, taste its bitterness.

James will be the first of the Twelve to be martyred. Meanwhile, his brother, John, will be the last, dying in exile nearly six decades later.

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How many of us have tasted the “cup” of the Lord, sharing his suffering in faith?

I think of parents who watch their children struggle with addiction, depression, or anxiety. Yet they never leave their side… You have tasted the “cup” of the Lord.

Those who care for an ill or aging spouse in love…

Those who persevere in spite of dryness in prayer…

Families who stand by the graveside weeping… yet turn to the Lord in hope. You have tasted the “cup” of the Lord.

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This is the paradox of our faith. We believe that down is up; that up is down; that the path to glory is paved in suffering; that death leads to life. 

May all who taste the “cup” of the Lord persevere, trusting in Christ’s promise, “Behold, I am with you always.”

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Image credits: (1) Jardins Liorzou (2) Cru (3) Pat Cross, National Catholic Register

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Gospel: Mark 10: 28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus,
“We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Master, we have given up everything and followed you.”

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On the surface, Peter’s right. 

Unlike the rich young man, who walks away from Jesus “sad, for he had many possessions,” Peter and the others have left their boats, their homes, even their families, in order to follow Jesus.

That’s a huge sacrifice.

But the Christian journey – yours and mine – comes at more than just a physical cost; we also must part with things we carry in our hearts.

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For example, Peter and the others are still carrying their pride.

Just a few verses prior, Jesus catches them arguing over who is the greatest. At this point, they’re still interested in titles and seats of honor, not in suffering or persecution.

Although they’ve left everything behind physically, the disciples are still works in progress, spiritually.

In that sense, discipleship is total commitment of mind, body, heart, and soul.

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Who or what have I parted with in order to follow the Lord? 

Like Peter, are there parts of myself that I’m still carrying, which I need to leave behind? Think in terms of pride, fear, the desire for control, or our ego?

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As we journey along the path of surrender, may Peter’s words one day become ours in the fullest sense:

“Master, we have given up everything and followed you.”

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Image credits: (1) Old Boat at Dawn, Olga Beliaeva (2) The Pain PT (3) Adobe Stock

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Gospel: Mark 10: 17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” 
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Corporal Jason Lee Dunham was serving with the 3^rd Battalion, 7^th Marines Regiment, during the Iraq War.

On April 14, 2004, his convoy was responding to an attack that happened in a nearby town. Other Marines responded first, detaining several vehicles and suspects. When one of the suspects tried escaping, Corporal Dunham engaged the man in hand-to-hand combat.

During the fight, the suspect pulled the pin out of a grenade and launched it at a group of Marines. Dunham threw his helmet and his body on top of the grenade, shielding his fellow soldiers from the explosion.

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Eight days later, Corporal Dunham died from injuries sustained … at the tender age of 22.

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Today we honor all the men and women who, like Corporal Dunham, never returned home from combat. They offered themselves for the life of our nation: for our families, our children, our freedom, and our future.

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Stories like Corporal Dunham get to the essence of what Christianity is. As Jesus himself says, “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Jesus did it. Dunham did it. We should do it.

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While we cannot offer ourselves for the life of the world as Christ did, nor may we be drawn into combat as Corporal Dunham was, we are all called to offer ourselves for the good of others, often in ordinary ways.

How do I give myself away for the good of others?

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May Corporal Dunham and all who sacrificed themselves for us find rest in Christ, who first loved us and gave himself for us. 

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Image credits: (1) Congressional Medal of Honor Society (2) VA News, VA.gov (3) ECWA USA