Reflection for September 26 Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 9:43b-45

Gospel: Luke 9:43b-45

While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

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Reflection:

When Jesus told His disciples that He was to be handed over to men, they were unable to comprehend what He was saying. Why? At that time, Jesus was performing miracles left and right. Perhaps they were asking themselves, “How could it be possible that this man who performs such miracles would be handed over to the authorities and then suffer?”

The disciples did not yet fully understand the mission of Jesus. They saw His miracles, heard His teachings, and witnessed His power, but they had not yet grasped that His mission would ultimately lead Him to the cross. If they had fully understood His mission, they would have better comprehended His pronouncement about His coming suffering and death.

This can also happen to us. Sometimes, we follow Jesus because we experience His blessings, His guidance, and His consolations. We rejoice when our prayers are answered and when everything seems to be going well. But what happens when trials come? What happens when our prayers seem unanswered, when our burdens become heavy, and when the road before us becomes difficult?

The moment we decide to follow Jesus, we must also prepare ourselves to embrace the sufferings and trials that may come our way. We cannot separate our discipleship from suffering. To follow Jesus is also to embrace the cross. Our faith does not guarantee us a problem-free life; rather, it gives us the grace to remain faithful when life becomes difficult.

There are people who say, “Simply follow Jesus, and you will have a problem-free life.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. Each one of us who truly follows Jesus will have our own share of sufferings and tribulations. At times, we may even find ourselves asking why God allows certain painful things to happen to us.

Yet, let us not allow our sufferings to overwhelm us or weaken our faith. Jesus never promised that we would have a life without crosses, but He promised to remain with us. When our strength is failing, His grace sustains us. When we feel lost, His presence guides us. And when our cross becomes too heavy, we can place our trust in Him and continue walking with faith.

Our sufferings may not always disappear, but through our faith in Jesus, we can discover courage in the midst of pain, hope in the midst of darkness, and strength in the midst of weakness. We do not carry our crosses alone because Jesus walks with us every step of the way.

Let us therefore remain faithful to Jesus not only when our lives are filled with blessings and answered prayers, but also when we are asked to carry our crosses. Let us trust that every suffering we endure with faith can draw us closer to Him and deepen our love for Him.

When our faith is tested and our cross becomes heavy, will we continue to follow Jesus—not because the journey is easy, but because we know that He is walking with us?—Marino J. Dasmarinas