FOLLOWING THE CRUCIFIED LORD – 02/17/22 (Memorial of Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order)

Mark 8:29,31-33

29 And He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, He rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

For more information on the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-17-seven-holy-founders-of-the-servite-order/

Blessed Memorial of Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order! Peter followed Jesus because he recognized Him as the Messiah, our Savior. It's because we can only find salvation through Him. Then, Jesus told them that He would suffer, He would be rejected by the people, and He would be killed. Peter rebuked Jesus, and one reason was because he did not want suffering. As a human being, it was natural for him to stay away from sufferings, but Peter did not see that he was not following God's will, and he was tempted by Satan. 

Although His sufferings were caused by the worst evil that the world had seen, He transformed it for the greatest good, as the means of our salvation, through His Sacrifice. He was detached, not just from material riches, but from comfort, convenience, and praises of people. He lived an example of poverty. And, we are called to imitate His sacrifice and His poverty. Because of our wounds, we may find it difficult to embrace our own crosses. Perhaps, we received many criticisms from people who judged us and belittled us based on the worldly standards of wealth, skills, honors, and achievements. It's also part of reality that we encounter many problems in our family and personal life that cause us to be distressed. But, Jesus is reminding us to follow Him by carrying our crosses. Rather than be angry with people who caused and deepened our pain, we can forgive them, pray for them and love them. By doing this, we can obtain forgiveness and love from our Crucified Lord who can heal the wounds of our hearts. After all, He loves us unconditionally even if our sins wound His Sacred heart. 

When Jesus revealed that He would rise on the third day after He died, He showed to us that the spiritually poor and the suffering would be rich in heaven. Let's never lose our hope in Him. May we dedicate our lives solely to God. Even amidst the problems that we experience, He still calls us to humble ourselves and glorify Him. He will deliver us from our fears and distress if we depend on Him. Let's also pray through the intercession of Mary, who suffered as she witnessed the sacrifice of her Son, for the gift of faith and courage. In this way, we can continuously trust in the Lord as we bear the hardships of life out of love for Him. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic