The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Sirach 35:1-12
Psalm 50:5-6, 7-8, 14 and 23
Mark 10:28-31

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today's gospel begins, "Peter began to say to Jesus, 'We have given up everything and followed you.'" (Mark 10:28) And the Lord immediately cuts him off. As I reflect on this reading, I find myself wondering what Peter intended to say further, had Jesus allowed him to continue. I assume it would have been something like this: "We have given up everything and followed you. Now, where is this kingdom you have been promising and all the things that will come with it?" The gospels are just too full of incidents where people misinterpreted what Jesus was saying and were looking for a political messiah to free their nation from the Romans and bring them to greatness once again.

But today, Jesus does not even let Peter finish. He does tell him that there will be rewards, greater than can be imagined....

Jesus said,
"Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel,
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first." (Mark 10:29-31)

The key to this passage is in the next to the last line. "With persecutions" is how Jesus says these rewards will come. Following the Lord is not an easy path and any rewards He gives us will certainly come with the reward of persecution. But then, the ultimate reward of eternal life with Him for those who persevere. If we are truly following Him we should be persecuted - it is one of the promised rewards. Then, we should rejoice and be thankful for it and all the wonderful things he gives us as we anticipate eternity with Him.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)

____________________

These meditations are also available by email subscription
©1986-2005 The Way, The Truth, The Life