Gospel

Mark 8:34—9:1

Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake

and that of the Gospel will save it.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world

and forfeit his life?

What could one give in exchange for his life?

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words

in this faithless and sinful generation,

the Son of Man will be ashamed of

when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

He also said to them,

"Amen, I say to you,

there are some standing here who will not taste death

until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”

Reflection

Jesus in this passage is teaching his disciples a core issue. At the heart of what Jesus came into the world to proclaim is redemption, which is an act of love, for the truth, for the kingdom. Even though it asks you to let go of previous ways of seeing things, let those die and let something new be born inside of you.

That's what Jesus wants his disciples to do, and he realizes how hard it is to understand that until they see the Son of God risen in front of them, and then they will believe. Take a few moments to reflect upon these images, and then I will close with a prayer.

Closing Prayer

Father, as often as we hear words that call us into a new way of life. The process of dying and rising is not easy. It never will be easy, and it never is finished. We always evolve and grow in our understanding if we're willing to see through the things that we thought were true for the truth. Bless us with this gift. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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