24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 50:5-9
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35

A. Text/Context
• Today in the gospel Jesus asks his disciples: who do people say that I am? And Peter answered: you are the Christ. Greek Christos, the anointed one and therefore the Messiah
• Perhaps Jesus was very pleased that Peter knew him correctly because the others did not identify him correctly with their answers: John the Baptist, Elijah, or simply a prophet
• But when Peter say that you are the Christ, he rebuked them not to tell anyone
• Now what is the reason why is it that Jesus would not allow his disciples to reveal to others that he is the Messiah?
• The people think that a Messiah is one who is so victorious and triumphant in war who possesses immense strength who could kill hundreds of enemies in the battlefield
• A Messiah is a king who wears luxurious garments and living in a palace in great wealth and opulence
• So this is the notion of the Jews as to who will be the Messiah and everybody is waiting for that Messiah to come
• Jesus will not be that kind of Messiah and so he teaches his disciples that the Messiah or the Son of Man will suffer a lot, die, and rise on the third day
• And so Peter did not like what Jesus is saying because in the Jewish background that is not the Messiah in the mind of Peter and Jesus said to him Get behind me Satan
• Jesus will never die on the cross and there will be no fulfillment in his mission if the mindset of Peter is followed
• This is the reason that Jesus would not allow them to tell that he is the Messiah at least for a time being, at least temporarily
• Because when people will know that he is the Messiah the people will glorify and crown him as their king and his mission of saving humankind from sin through his death on the cross will never be fulfilled
• And going back to Peter, we already know that he became the first pope
• In the version of Matthew 16:17-18 the reply of Jesus is clearer, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it
• In my readings in the life of St. Peter he is among all the apostles who love Jesus the most. He is also dubbed as the apostle of faith
• The reply of Peter that Jesus is the Christ is a revelation given to him from the Father himself and this was very prophetic because one day he will lead the Church even if he had denied our Lord during the passion

B. Human Situation
• In our lives as Christians this is what we call sacrificing the truth for the sake of a noble cause or intention
• There are times that we need to sacrifice telling the truth for a very noble purpose and you want to keep the secret at least while time is not so ripe for the revelation
• For example I have this experience where a young couple called me asking for a sacrament of anointing for their sick child for the forgiveness of sins
• Remember that anointing also effects the forgiveness of sins for adults who can no speak and so can no longer confess
• When I went to the hospital I found out that their daughter was only 10 years old and already dying of dengue
• So from what I know in my studies at this age children are exempt as they still do not really know what is right and wrong because of their innocence so I just give the child a blessing
• The mother started sharing to me the pains that they undergo since the time they brought their daughter to the hospital
• The child keeps on asking when is she coming out so she can go back to school because she’s worried she has plenty of absences already
• And the father and mother will just reply that she will soon be back in school when she will be well
• Very simple words of comfort and the child would start eating her food because she wants to be well
• It is so painful to the parents because they were already told by the doctor that the case of her daughter is already hopeless
• It was a great sacrifice and denial on the part of the parents in giving a false hope to their daughter
• The difficult mission of the parents is that even at the last and the most difficult moments of their child at the point of death she will be happy and hoping at least that she can go back to school
• Isn’t it very painful to tell somebody that you do not love him or her anymore because he or she already has a commitment with another but deep inside you still love very much that person
• Now we can just imagine how Jesus sacrificed in withholding the truth that he is the Messiah
• He is a God, a royalty and a king acting like a servant. Such an amazing display of humility
• All the bad treatment and discrimination he has to undergo just like what every underdog feels in being so powerless even though he is so powerful
• In the 1st reading in Isaiah Jesus is prophesied as the one who gives his back to those who beat him without uttering a word!
• It is a tremendous sacrifice not to reveal the truth for the sake of a greater good. Of course later on in the public ministry Jesus already introduced to his hearers that he is the Messiah
C. Challenge
• My brothers and sisters, it is always a great temptation for us to reveal who we are especially if we hold high positions in society or if we have a high profile or social reputation in order to be treated just like what we deserved
• Today we are reminded that at times we need to withhold about the most beautiful things about us for the sake of others
• This is the message that the gospel brings us today: deny yourself, take up your cross and come follow me
• Denying yourself for the sake of others is a real charity that is why in the letter of James we are reminded that faith must be accompanied with actions
• Faith alone is not sufficient if it is not expressed into actions. St. James said in the 2nd reading that salvation through faith alone is questionable
• Well, of course, the hungry needs your blessing, but the physical need has to be addressed also to complete the component of the soul and the body
• We should not use the spiritual aspect of faith as a lame excuse in order to hide or conceal our inner motives because we are really selfish with our intentions
• If we need to withhold the truth about what we know so as not to ruin the reputation of the person then we do it
• It’s a different story when you need to tell the truth in order to serve justice to the one denied of it
• It’s a different story when you need to tell the truth because many lives are in danger. You still keep the truth and many people already died, then it will be sinful as you bear a false witness
• Because you have chosen not to expose the dark secret of the person in order to preserve his dignity, his self esteem, his reputation is already a blessing that you can offer to the person
• We call it white lies. We do not tell the truth if it is detrimental to the very person of the one concerned
• In that sense we act with the spirit of charity because we preserve the person from ruin and scandal

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Mark 8 verse 27-35