TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Isaiah 50:5-9

Psalm 116

James 2:14-18

Mk. 8:27-35

Theme: THE GATE OF HELL

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO...

Caesarea Philippi, a mixed (Greco-Roman) pagan city, located at the foot of Mount Hermon, about 25 miles from the religious community of Galilee, is the setting of the events of our Gospel text for today.

Interestingly, it is at this pagan center, near the temple of Caesar Augustus, a temple dedicated to the worship of Pan (pagan god of fertility and agriculture), a place popularly referred to by Jewish believers as the gate of hell, that Jesus chose to test the faith of His disciples. “And you, " He asked, “who do you say I am? This is a question of faith. Jesus wanted His disciples to profess their faith in the presence (vicinity) of evil. It is in this very setting and after Peter's great profession of Jesus as the son of the living God that Jesus promised to build a church that would overcome the worst (Matthean Edition).

Beloved, great faith is professed not in the Church, but in the face of evil. Faith must act (cf. the 2nd Reading from the Book of James). Our faith must be professed and put into action amidst the evils of this world.

In a city full of false idols, Jesus asked His followers to commit to the one true God and profess Him as the Messiah. So also in a world full of false idols, evil, and lies, we must profess Christ. We must be a force that will contend with the evils all around us, in our homes, workplaces, and even on the street.

Our faith must be a foundation for building goodness, goodness that will defeat evil in the world around us. Our faith must prevail even amid evil and even at the very gate of hell.

PRAYER

Lord, in a world dominated by false idols and immoral activities, may my faith not waver but more than ever, profess you as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, September 15, 2024.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.