049 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2015 Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 116: 1-6, 8-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8: 27-35
Homily Theme
Real Faith
This week, the readings offer many different themes for our meditation, but let us zero in on the word faith in the second reading and apply it also to the other readings. St. James tells us that faith is more than words. He says, ‘What good is it if someone says I have faith and you have works. Can works save him or her?’ Listen closely to all the words in the second reading and be ready to defend your Catholic Faith when it is attacked because we believe that real faith also requires works.
Faith is something we believe without proof, but not without a reason. The first reading from Isaiah would be a good reason to give to a believer in the Old Testament, about Jesus as the prophesied Messiah. It is not proof by itself, but one of many reasons for us to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus fulfills all the Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament and together they give us a multitude of reasons for our faith.
All the apostles proclaimed and taught that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah and the Christ. They had all witnessed to the Resurrection of Jesus after his Crucifixion and death. Many Jews and Gentiles proclaimed and said in words that they had faith, because of the reasons the apostles gave them to believe, but they like Peter, would have to take up their cross and follow Jesus by laying down their lives for that faith. We too, must be prepared to do more than say we believe. We must put our faith into action. In the Gospel, Peter proclaims in words his faith in Jesus as the Christ, but only shows his faith when he follows the teachings of Jesus by laying down his life for Him. Peter’s faith is more than just words and so must our faith be.
We have witnessed a few Catholics declare publicly that they were Catholics for abortion by doing so, their words were a witness to their denying of their faith which they previously professed. In the Gospel, Peter tries to change Jesus’ mind about his upcoming crucifixion and death. Even though Peter was sincere in trying to persuade Jesus, he was doing the work of Satan by doing so. These women, and all like them, may be sincere but they are sincerely wrong and are promoting the work of Satan in proclaiming abortion as a good. God is the author of life and those who strive to prevent it, unnaturally, or destroy it after it is conceived, are certainly not true Catholics. They proclaim their faith in words but their actions deny it. All life matters including the unborn.
Real faith must be more than just words.