Monday June 29th, 2015 Mark 8:27-35
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering? (verse 31)
When we read through the gospel of Mark at confirmation camp, one of the students was most impressed with this passage in which Jesus foretells his suffering, death and resurrection. The student admired the courage it takes to walk into this kind of ordeal with open eyes.
Of course, this goes against the high gloss message of our world of advertisement in which the fulfillment of our appetites seems to be the most important goal of our lives: Eat chocolate! Drink pop! Buy cars! Wear diamonds! As if there was nothing more important to do.
Our faith teaches us that there are many more important things to do. Jesus teaches us in his prayer: God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Does it seem to you that God’s will is done on earth? Does everybody have their daily bread? A safe place to live? A healthy environment and lifestyle? We are far from living up to this godly vision of earth. By loving our neighbour and acting accordingly, even at a cost to ourselves, we can work towards this vision, one step at a time.
Gracious God, we thank you for coming to earth in human form and teaching us how to act in your name. Amen. — KLB
Contributed by God’s Will be Done
When we read through the gospel of Mark at confirmation camp, one of the students was most impressed with this passage in which Jesus foretells his suffering, death and resurrection. The student admired the courage it takes to walk into this kind of ordeal with open eyes.
Of course, this goes against the high gloss message of our world of advertisement in which the fulfillment of our appetites seems to be the most important goal of our lives: Eat chocolate! Drink pop! Buy cars! Wear diamonds! As if there was nothing more important to do.
Our faith teaches us that there are many more important things to do. Jesus teaches us in his prayer: God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Does it seem to you that God's will is done on earth? Does everybody have their daily bread? A safe place to live? A healthy environment and lifestyle? We are far from living up to this godly vision of earth. By loving our neighbour and acting accordingly, even at a cost to ourselves, we can work towards this vision, one step at a time.
