WAY OF CHRIST
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mk 9:30 -37)
Braveheart is an epic historical battle film directed by Mel Gibson about William Wallace. Wallace is a 13th century Scottish warrior. He led the Scots in their First War of Independence against King Edward of England. His rebellion begins when is childhood friend and later wife, Murron, is publicly executed. He keeps the memory of his wife alive by keeping her handkerchief she gave him on their marriage night.
Throughout the movie this handkerchief becomes a symbol. It reminds him of his love, his pain and what he is fighting for. In the end, his death makes him a great hero because he never lost his purpose.
Any journey, adventure or mission must have a reason that keeps you going. For Jesus, his journey to the cross, his passion was motivated by love. His obedience to His Father.
In today’s gospel (Mk 9:30-37), Jesus teaches his disciples by revealing to them his identity. Yes, he is the Messiah. But he is a messiah that must suffer and die! Regrettably, they did not understand. They were not on the same page with Jesus. They even argued and rivaled among each other who was the greatest. Each was trying to get to the top.
Jesus continues to invite us to follow Him on his way to the cross. There are 3 Discipleship Qualities he wants us to learn: 3 H’s
- Heart. We need a brave heart; a courageous heart. A heart that loves Jesus totally; ready for any suffering or sacrifice. On Sept 21 this week is the feast of St. Matthew. He had a great love for his job as a tax collector because he made a lot of money. But one day, he was touched by grace. Jesus called him – follow me! He left everything. God gave him the grace to love Jesus more. Let us also ask for this grace.
- Humility. Let us learn to be humble like Jesus. To teach his disciples the art of humility, he showed them a little child. When we welcome a child, it is not dependent on his title, his wealth or power. The child does not have these things. We welcome a child simply because he is loveable; his simplicity and goodness. Moreover, Jesus greatest lesson is his cross. Here is a God who humbles himself out of love. The cross is the icon of greatness; the icon of selfless love.
- Habit. Jesus invites us to be persistent. Following him ought to become a lifestyle. It requires daily acts of love and humility. Greatness is the result of a persevering habit of serving like Jesus; generosity like Christ. It becomes a gradual transformation of ourselves: our heart, our head and our hands to be more and more like Christ. We grow in him. Somebody said: it is not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives; its what we do consistently.
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