PAY ATTENTION
There will be a new and better life to come; but not necessarily tomorrow and certainly not without the Cross.
The disciples are struggling with what Jesus has to say to them. His words are strong in today's Gospel of Luke: "Pay attention to what I am telling you" (Lk 9:44a). Wow! It is very unusual for Jesus to be this firm with the disciples, but it does get their attention right from the start. Jesus continued, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men" (Lk 9:44b). Imagine the thoughts that are going through their minds! Perhaps questions like: How could our Savior ever be tortured and executed like so many of our fellow citizens? It's no wonder, then, why "they were afraid to ask Him about this saying" (Lk 9:45b).
Jesus knew, however, that He was entering completely into human experience, and one of the huge mysteries of life is the relationship between love and suffering. During my reflection time for these readings today, I thought about St. Padre Pio. Like so many of us, Padre Pio did not know exactly why the love of God was inseparable from suffering, but he firmly believed that suffering all things for the sake of God was the way to union with Him. And suffer he did, physically and spiritually, all through his childhood and until his death. St. Padre Pio is one modern example of a disciple of Jesus Christ who accepted the message of living a Gospel life.
The emphasis of Jesus Christ on the inevitability of some form of the Cross is real to each of us. What Jesus asks in the Gospels is, first, that we work hard to heal and help the suffering and the oppressed in our world. And, second, that we trust there will be a new and better life to come; but not necessarily tomorrow and certainly not without the Cross.
Life is serious business. Pay attention!