R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it.”

Obituaries often include a brief synopsis of how the deceased rose above adversities in their life; such as battling a disease, overcoming losing a parent or both parents at a young age; not being able to attain a proper education due to caring for siblings or ill parents, laboring at a young age to help with the household income, or raising children who were not biologically their own. Life is full of crosses. Those who endured such sacrifices are remembered as ones who found  fulfillment to their purpose. They carried the cross of caring for others, the cross of sickness, acceptance, self-denial, compassion and humility.

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mk 8:34). The cross of Christ means commitment. We can relate to the eternal reward of discipleship in loyalty to Christ with our earthly responsibilities to family, the Church, and society.

For example if one wants to be an Olympic medalist, one must take up the cross of unrelenting daily practice and self-discipline.

Those in married life or hoping to marry quickly learn that for a marriage to be successful, both individuals  must take up the cross of patience, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice and die to one another. These are the crosses of love.

For Catholics, the cross of crucifixion is really the cross of love for Jesus laid down His life on the cross out of love for humanity. The cross is not a sign of death, but of life.

In today’s Sacred Gospel account, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am” (Mk 8:29). Peter’s first answer, “You are the Messiah” is one of the wisest answers ever given by Peter. Yet his follow-up rebuke was one of the most unintelligent answers ever given. Matthew’s Gospel narrative records Peter as he says to Jesus, “God forbid, Lord! No thing shall ever happen to you” (Mt 16:22).

Jesus is indeed the suffering Messiah; a quality the People of Israel were not expecting.

Instead of asking them who they thought He was, what if Jesus would have asked, “Who are you?” I wonder how many would have said, “I am a follower and believer in you, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah.”

How many of us would identify in this manner? Usually we respond with our name or title or by another identifier such as, “I’m so-and-so’s spouse; or so-and-so’s father, mother, sister, brother, or parent”.

Perhaps this example will help make my point.

There was a person who had great aspirations of climbing the ladder of success. This ladder could have been in the field of medicine, finance, education, politics, sports, or any of a thousand other careers. In fact, each of us has a career ladder to climb. No one was surprised as this particular individual worked so hard at rising to the top. It seemed as if the sky was the limit and many things began to take a back seat as the demands for success became their focus.

But with this rise to fame and fortune came a great deal of compromise. After all, to remain on top meant only one thing; to do whatever was necessary to remain there.

One day, just as the last rung of the ladder of success seemed to be within reach, the individual reflected on all they had seen and experienced during this journey to the top most of which involved the lures of a pagan lifestyle. Something didn’t seem quite right. An inner voice was saying “No”.

With much prayer and the guidance of family and friends, the individual came to their senses. The individual reflected on a question one of their friends had posed, “Who are you”?  The individual could hear in their mind and heart, “I am a Christian. I am a child of God. I am an individual of morals and principals; a person of integrity.”

The pagan rise to the top abruptly stopped and a wholesome endeavor took its place. The individual did find success; a success achieved without compromising one’s Catholic identity. In fact, many acknowledged this new success surpassed the original endeavor.

And that Catholic identity involves the Cross. The Cross equips us to live in a pagan world while maintaining our Catholicity.

What if Jesus were to ask us, “Who are you?” Do we have the conviction to boldly say, “I am a follower and believer in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.”?

What is our identity? Do we identify as a person who can be trusted? Or do we hide our identity knowing that our lives are not in accord with the sacrificial love Christ calls each of us to?

Are we willing to deny the pagan pleasures of this life, take up the cross of love and forgiveness, and follow in the steps of Jesus? If so, our identity is rooted in the cross for the cross provides us with the opportunity to die to self as we live for others.

And this is our hope; for hope can only be found in the Cross of Christ.

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

I can still remember the priest who taught us Scripture during diaconate formation talking about the passage from the Gospel that we hear this Sunday, and then asking us what seemed an irrelevant question.

“Where does it come in?” he asked us. “Where does it appear in St. Mark’s Gospel?” A few people called out, “Chapter 8.” That was stating the obvious. The priest smiled. “But where is it? Where IS it?”

Awkward silence. A few of us cleared our throats and looked at our notes. And then he provided the answer we should have noticed from the start.

“It’s right in the very middle, the very center, of Mark’s Gospel. Mark has 16 chapters. It’s here in Chapter 8.” He let that sink in and explained. “This is the very heart of the Gospel message. Smack dab in the middle. This is the center of everything.”  He paused “‘Who do you say that I am?’”

Of course!  This passage does more than challenge the Apostles to define Jesus. It challenges us, here and now, to make a declaration of faith, to believe, to act — not just think about what Christ means and who He is, but to say it.  To make a declaration of faith.

But how do we do that?  Jesus offered an answer many may not want to hear. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Among other things, this passage affirms, once again, that Jesus never offered his followers the easy way out. What he was offering, instead, required sacrifice, hardship, suffering — carrying a cross, bearing a burden, even to the point of persecution and death.

For many around the world today, the cross might involve punishment or imprisonment, possibly even death, for declaring oneself a follower of Christ. But for most of us, the cross is very different, almost abstract. It isn’t necessarily made of wood.

To be a Christian can mean carrying the cross of mercy — forgiving others and praying for them, when it is so much easier and gratifying to hate.  It can mean carrying the cross of patience — living with a thousand small setbacks and annoyances to perform acts of kindness, generosity or love for another.

Maybe it means carrying the cross of self-sacrifice — caring for others who might hunger for food or friendship or who yearn simply for someone to lend a hand or lend an ear.

A great hymn tells us that the cross, whatever it may be for each of us, isn’t something to be borne like a heavy weight, but to be raised in triumph. “Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, ’til all the world adore his sacred name…”

In ways large and small, we are compelled to face the central question at the heart of Mark’s Gospel — “Who do you say that I am?” — and answer it not only with words, but with our lives.  We are called to do nothing less than to proclaim the love of Christ.

Are we doing it? Are we doing it enough?  It is worth taking the time this week to consider it and act on it.

Who do we believe Jesus is? Who do we say that He is? How do we reveal that to others — at home, at work, in the supermarket, at the gym?

What do we do in our daily lives that tells others, “I follow Jesus.” Can they see that without us even saying a word?

Whether we realize it or not, that charge lies — literally — at the center of the Gospel.  It should also be at the center of our lives.

Deacon Tony Falasca, Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.

The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let that man confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?

R. (9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I love the LORD because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
and I called upon the name of the LORD,
“O LORD, save my life!”
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, ”
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone might say,
“You have faith and I have works.”
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.