Homily for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time; St. John Chrysostom – September 13th 2015

The question is asked does Satan exist ? Who and what is the devil ? The answer from Parishioners were varied and interesting from a state of mind, to a spiritual being. The Bible tells us John  8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Here we are told that the Satan is a person who is murderer & liar. Devil is the evil personified, he is evil with a “d” at the beginning. Sin, evil, devil and Satan is real

The word Satan from a Greek word that means an adversary, with other synonyms like, opponent, challenger, rival, enemy, foe, antagonist, opposition. Yes Satan is all of this of God, the truth and good.

In the Gospel of today, in Mark 27:27 “Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Christ is undertaking self-introspection ask His disciples who people say He is. He was asking them if they knew God. He then ask them what they, themselves also said He was.

We need to introspect ourselves – if we do not know ourselves we will not know God. But note that you are different from what people think you are, this is especially so if you put an outside appearance that is not you. Note that there will be a separation of the white lather from the dirty water. Do not concentrate on the outwards signs but the inner Grace. What we see from outside could be deceptive!

Peter after having God revealing to him who Christ was and pronouncing God’s word and being rewarded by being given the keys. He then is rebuked as Satan the adversary when Christ talks about His death and suffering. So we can put on Christ and also also become a vessel of the devil and take his place. So we need to aware that yes we can be that vessel, it is a choice for us to make, which side we will allow ourselves to be used.

Some of the ways in which we could be conflicted by the devil are the follows

• A source of conflict is supposition, where we will not get understanding of what the issues actually are and we suppose.
• Attribution is another reason why the devil tempts us. An example is Christ casting demon and it was attributed to Bezebule, by the people who wanted to paint it negatively. What are you attributing others good things because of envy  – Luke  11:15  But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
• Another is Négative interprétation – you do a good thing for someone & it is interpreted wrongly.

The devil operates by casting doubts on the good intentions of God. He causes us to doubt the faithfulness of God. Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, thou shalt bruise his heel” The devil can let us create the false impression that we are spiritually strong. The devil can corrupt our minds from being simple and Christ like 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguilded Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”

He makes us not to develop in Christ and grow spiritually. He prevents from praying and focuses on canal things, things of the flesh. What matters to us is about our own benefits, profits about our own self. He can strike us with physical disease and take our focus from God. An example is that of Job, the devil’s intention was to use the disease and sickness to separate him from the love of God. He also can draw us away through persecution. Rev 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” So do not allow the devil to take away our crown of life with these fleeting challenges.

In the 1st reading of today God answers the question of how to defeated the devil Is 50:7 – 9 “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?” God opens our ears so we can hear God speaking to us to hear. Let’s hear God’s Word and accept it. God is our help so we are not disgraced.

Devil has no hands, eyes, no ears, no sensory organs but he operates through us. The devil is out there and he operates through human being and other spirits. It is the reason why Christ tells Peter to get behind Him. At that point he had given himself to the devil to be used. We should constantly be checking ourselves and give ourselves to the Holy Spirit to use us. May God help us so that we can put on the Holy Spirit.

In the 2nd reading James tells us that if have we have faith we should demonstrate it by our works. A good tree should bear good fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruits.

May God help us to live our faith and may Christ live in us. We cannot be corrupt in our works. Our faith should show in our work, our family lives, our school, in everything we do. Our faith cannot stop only at what we hear and profess but when it comes to acting we are found wanting. We should demonstrate our faith in all we do. Our country is full of corruption how are we living our faith to show the difference. Our Christianity and Catholicism should show in our lives and every thing we do

LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING – Isaiah 50:4c–9a

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?

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 116:1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 8–9 (9)

1. 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.

SECOND READING – James 2:14–18

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.

ALLELUIA – Galatians 6:14

1. 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.

GOSPEL – Mark 8:27–35

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.”

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