24th Week 2009, 13th. September Mass

The reflection of the Gospel for Sunday Mass seemed to knit together the anticipations of Jesus to the Agony in Gethsemane and the Passion and Death.

PRAYER TO JESUS, AGONISING ON THE

MOUNT OF OLIVES

My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay here and watch. (St. Mark 16-34)

PROMISES TO DEVOTEES OF THE AGONY OF JESUS ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Finally, and in order to prove to you that I want to break open a dam of My Heart so as to let flow a flood of My Graces, I promise those who spread this devotion to My agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the following three graces:

Total and final victory over the worst temptation to which they are subjected;

Direct power to save poor souls from purgatory;

Great enlightenment and strength to fulfil My Will.

All of these, My precious gifts, I will definitely give to those who carry what I had said, and who, therefore, remember and venerate with love and sympathy. My great, incomprehensible Agony on the Mount of Olives.

(San Giovanni Rotondo – 1965).

The Sunday Gospel of Mark 8: 27-23 gives a vivid reminder of the mind of Jesus so oblivious of the disciples, again at St. Mark 16:34.

KNOX Harmony Matthew, Mark and Luke, Confession of Peter

Matthew 16: 13-28 21 From that time onwards Jesus began to make it known to his disciples that he must go up to Jerusalem, and there, with much ill usage from the chief priests and elders and scribes, must be put to death, and rise again 22 on the third day. Whereupon Peter, drawing him to his side, began remonstrating with him; Never, Lord, he said; no such thing 23 shall befall thee. At which he turned round and said to Peter, Back, Satan; thou art a stone in my path; for these thoughts of thine 24 are man's, not God's.

Mark 8: 27-33. 31 And now he began to make it known to them that the Son of Man must be much ill-used, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be put to death, 32 and rise again after three days.

Luke 9: 18-27. 22 The Son of Man, he said, is to be much ill-used, and rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be put to death, and 23 rise again on the third day.

The Homilist, Fr. Hugh, had question about the Confession of Peter. He had reassurances for the problems on faith and quotes from one of the Abbots, Bl. Guerric of Igny, Advent Sermon V.

“However for you to journey along it, the way is always waiting to be prepared, so that you must start afresh from the place you have reached and advance along what lies ahead. You are led to do so because at every stage you must meet the Lord, for whose coming you are preparing the way, and each time you see him in a completely new way and as a much greater figure than you met before.”

“The longer I live the more I look forward to the future.” Dick Ranolph S.J. wrote this in his Memooirs which he wrote in his 80s. He died last October at the age of 92.