Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Perhaps the most difficult cross to bear is that of a parent losing a child.

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In the 2011 film, The Way, Martin Sheen plays the role of a father who loses his only child in a sudden accident.

His son was attempting to walk the Camino of Santiago, a thousand year old trail in northern Spain, but was killed unexpectedly in a violent storm.

Forced into a type of soul searching, this father decides to carry his son’s ashes on his back while walking the trail himself.

Along the way, he begins to question:

What is the meaning of my own life?

Will I see my son again?

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In the Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.

Like this father in the movie, The Way, Jesus is not only walking a physical path; he’s also on a spiritual journey, one that becomes increasingly difficult.

For months and miles, Jesus has carried the knowledge in his heart that, “the Son of man will be handed over to men and they will kill him” (Mark 9:31).

Imagine carrying this weight inside. Imagine being Jesus.

He could’ve become bitter. He could’ve retreated in fear and sought another path.

But he didn’t.

Day after day, Jesus heroically inches his way towards Jerusalem, knowing that betrayal and a cross await him.

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For this reason, Jesus turns away from teaching the crowds and curing the sick. His public ministry is coming to a close. It’s time to focus on his closest disciples, instead, sharing the details of his future with them.

He tells them plainly, “the Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise” (Mark 9:31).

This was shocking news to the disciples. They couldn’t imagine Jesus gone.

The truth is, they had very different plans for Jesus and for themselves. They expected to march into Jerusalem, crown Jesus king, and place themselves by his side.

As the Gospel tells us, “They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest” (Mark 9:34).

That is, who might have the highest seat of honor. 

The disciples weren’t thinking about the resurrection; they were thinking about earthly glory and power.

Little do they know, they themselves will be forced into a type of soul searching upon entering Jerusalem, asking themselves about the meaning of their own lives…and whether or not they will see Jesus again.

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Imagine how tough this journey must have been for Jesus. Even his closest friends don’t understand him.

All he can do is patiently teach them about his future – and by extension about their future – and pray that they will be converted on the way.

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How does Jesus bear it? Where does he find the strength for his journey, fully aware of what’s ahead?

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He loves his Father.

And he believes his Father will raise him from the dead.

For now, all Jesus must do is put one foot in front of the other, walking the path before him.

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Life inevitably comes with its share of burdens. And like Jesus, we all carry them.

Perhaps we struggle with anxiety, depression, poor self-image, or addiction.

Perhaps we struggle with making ends meet or being a single parent.

Or, like Sheen in the movie, The Way, perhaps we’re carrying the heaviest burden of them all – the loss of a child…

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Jesus prays for us, that his faith might become our own.

He journeyed through life with peace knowing that, in the end, “the Son of Man will rise” (Mark 9:31).

And so will we.

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This is the Good News of the Gospel. This is the promise of our Lord! 

The day is coming when we will enter the presence of God and be filled with every heavenly grace and blessing.

For now, all we must do is take the next step on our journey, however easy or difficult that may be, trusting the Risen Lord is with us.

Many of us remember Billy Graham, the most popular American preacher of the 20^thcentury…

He once shared a story about his wife, Ruth, who was driving through construction for miles on a highway. After carefully following the detours and warning signs, she finally came to the last sign that read:

“End of construction. Thank you for your patience…”

Struck by the message, she went home chuckling, and told Billy she wanted that line engraved on her tombstone:   “End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

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In our journey through life, we all have our share of successes and failures, highs and lows, detours and bumps in the road.

From our very first breath until our very last, we  are all “under construction,” a work in progress.

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In today’s Gospel, Peter and the other disciples reach a pivotal moment in their journey with Jesus. After months and miles of listening to his words and witnessing his deeds, Jesus asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29)…

This is perhaps the most important question Jesus will ever ask his disciples, including us.  “Who do you say that I am?” …

It demands a personal response, a response that ultimately shapes our lives.

If Jesus is simply a moral teacher, for example, then he becomes one of many voices we listen to. While inspiring, his teachings will not shape us… We may even leave his word behind if a more attractive idea comes along.

But if he is God, then everything Jesus says has eternal value. What he says, we must do — keeping in mind that following Jesus is a life-long project.

Thus we’re still under construction; God isn’t done with us just yet!

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Again, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” 

Peter pipes up, “You are the Christ” – God in the flesh! And because of this, Peter is willing to leave everything behind and follow him (Mark 8:29).

In Matthew Gospel, immediately after Peter makes this personal profession of faith, Jesus tells him, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church!” (Matthew 16:18)

But if Peter is this rock, then why does Jesus issue his sternest rebuke, calling him Satan only a few verses later?

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Peter still doesn’t understand what it means to follow Jesus. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,” Jesus says, “take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

Though Peter thought he had Jesus figured out, clearly he was wrong. Peter’s faith is still under construction… we might say, a work in progress.

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How many of us feel like Saint Peter?

There are days when our faith is strong, when we embrace our crosses and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

And then there are days when our faith is weak, when we hit a bump in the road and fall into temptation.

Just like Saint Peter, our faith is under construction; we’re a work in progress.

But Jesus is patient with us. He will not abandon us when we’re weak. He simply kneels down, washes our feet, and invites us to try again.

As he says to Peter today, “Get behind me…” 

That is, “get behind me… and follow me” (Mark 8:33-34).

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Jesus is the Christ, the only one who can lead us through the construction of life – through the detours, the curves, and the bumps in the road – into his kingdom.

Where, then, is Jesus saying to me now, “Get behind me… and follow me”?

 

We have all had the experience of being caught in a crowd. Whether we’re pushing our way out of a concert, or inching our way into the subway, we know what it feels like to be scrunched like sardines in a can.

Imagine how frightened this man in today’s Gospel must have felt. He was surrounded by hundreds of people who were sick, wounded, or possessed.

Some of them were screaming, others were pleading. All them were trying to make their way to Jesus, the miracle worker.

They wanted his attention; they wanted to be healed.

But it’s this man who catches his attention. Perhaps it was his desperate face,  or the faith of his friends who never gave up.

When Jesus stops, he pulls this blessed man aside, and gives him his undivided attention.

Imagine that – having the undivided attention of God…

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Though Jesus can heal this man’s deafness with a single word, he deliberately puts his finger into his ear, touching the most wounded part his life, a sign that Jesus understands the pain his deafness has caused.

The years of isolation – of being unable to hear or to speak – of feeling trapped within the walls of his own body, Jesus understands.

And as he touches him, Jesus  “groans,” feeling his pain, crying out to the heavens on his behalf, “Ephphatha! Be opened!”

Be healed!

Instantly, this man runs off to tell everyone he knows about Jesus of Nazareth, the one who changed his life.

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Part of the pain of deafness is the fact that it isn’t instantly visible to others. It takes time before we realize someone cannot hear us – to see they are deaf.

That, really, is a symbol of the wounds many of us carry – often they’re hidden, tucked away from the outside world.

It takes time before others see we are wounded.

If we opened our hearts to Jesus right now, what part of us would need to be touched or healed?

Where have we become cold, or deafened to his voice?

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Like that man in the Gospel, Jesus wants to pull us away from the crowds and the distractions of life; he wants to give us his undivided attention.

“Ephphatha!”

That is his prayer for us this morning, that we “be opened!” to his voice… that we be opened to new ways of living…new ways of thinking… that we be opened to an ever deeper sense of God’s presence in our lives.

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And not only us — but everyone around us.

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Remember the crowds in the Gospel. They were scrunched like sardines in a can, all trying to inch their way to Jesus. They all wanted to be healed.

Our world and our families are no different. People still want to be healed. But like the deaf man in the Gospel, often they need a friend to lead them to Jesus.

We can be that friend.

How many people have asked us, for example, why we are Catholic, or why we go to Mass on Sundays, especially in this current climate?

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What an opportunity to share the Gospel with them! People are looking for answers – and ultimately for the Truth. We can bring them to Jesus.

As Saint Peter says, “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter3:15).

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We’re being challenged to think about our faith, about why Jesus matters to us, and to share that faith openly with others.

How might we do that this week?