Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 9:43b-45
September 24, 2022 | Saturday
And all who saw it were astonished at God’s wonderful work. But while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now: The Son of Man will be betrayed into hands the of men.” But the disciples didn’t understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Today’s Reflection:
Today’s reading reminds us of a mystery of Christ’s life: his betrayal by which he would suffer and die on the Cross. He said, “the Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men”. This aspect is difficult to accept because it is contrary to human dreams in which we envision glory without pain. This is not so with Jesus. Our Saviour shows us the greatness of God through his suffering.
The Gospel is clear that Christ predicted his passion on the cross in the hands of men. He too knew the anguish through his personal experience, and showed great love. Christ defeated Evil through his sacrifice on the cross. In God’s providence, everything has purpose and meaning.
In our own lives, do we avoid pain and suffering? We can say that the trials and hardships which we grow through and endure, placed in God with trust and confidence, never impoverish us. They bring out the best in us with God’s help and grace. We remember St. Rose of Lima who once said: “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven” (cf. Vita Mirabilis; CCC 618). /Vulnerasti, 2022
