1st Reading, from the Book of Zechariah, 12:10 – 11, 13:1
-The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem-
This fragment from the Book of Zechariah delivers a message from God the Almighty.
Prosecuted Jerusalem is given hope about the future. Its oppressors won’t last for too long. Soon the Lord will deliver her from them, and she will be restored to glory. Her people, the descendants of David, will enjoy victory over their enemies, and the victory will be crowned with their hearts being filled with great mercy and compassion for their fallen oppressors.
God not only turns his people into triumphant warriors, but on top of that, gives them the great gift of mercy. The winners will mourn the losers’ faith, and through their pain, “the descendants of David and the people from Jerusalem” will be purified “from their sin and idolatry.”
Forgiving Father, may your mercy be extended to us too just so, like the children of Jerusalem, our sins can be purified and our souls can be free.
2nd Reading, from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians
The Gospel according to Luke, 9: 18-24
-Peter’s Declaration about Jesus- & -Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death-
On this passage of Luke’s Gospel we hear Jesus asking the disciples “Who do the crowds say I am?” From all the different answers that were given to Jesus, it was Paul who said “You are God’s Messiah.”
Once Paul’s heart opened up to God’s good news, Paul had no trouble recognizing Jesus from who he was. Paul understood with mind and soul that the man standing in front of them was the one whom God had told them about.
Jesus, the Messiah, had full comprehension of the demands of His chosen path and thus, asked the disciples to maintain his real identity at bay. For the only way that God’s plan could happen, was if the suffering of the Son of Man took place. Jesus’ pain, his rejection, death, and resurrection, were all intertwined steps in the goal of saving men from their sins.
Jesus asked the disciples to follow him by accepting their crosses and by bearing them every day. For, in giving up their lives for His sake, they would gain an eternity with Him around God’s heavenly table.
Though we are not as fortunate as the disciples, who got to hear these instructions from Jesus himself, we are blessed to have the Scriptures to show us the way. We have the advantage of 2000+ years of education which signals us what to do in order to be able to sit alongside Jesus on the table of plenty.
Not always do we get to hear the good news from people who share our same customs or traditions. Sometimes the flag of wisdom comes from folks who are “different” from us. We must remember that the difference is only external, as inside we are all one in God. Internally we are all the same, we are but branches of the same tree, and though some of us might be darker, or curlier, or richer, or poorer, we remain children of God, the Only One, the Almighty.
Jesus asked the disciples to give up themselves in order to become winners, and the instructions that we receive today have not changed one bit. Every time we give, expecting nothing in return, we are acting upon Jesus’ instructions. For every act of mercy, for every donation in the form of a check, for every smile, for every hour “worked” cooperating with the improvement of our brothers and sisters’ lives, we are explicitly acting upon Jesus’ request. We might be “losing” an hour here and there, or giving up the chance of buying a new pair of shoes, or sacrificing an outing on account of funneling the cash towards a donation to the less fortunate, but in reality what happens is that to the eyes of God our stock market value increases like there is no tomorrow.
May we find joy in giving, not just a little bit but a whole lot, because it is in giving that we receive the blessings promised by our Jesus, God’s Messiah.
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