Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for everything under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without man’s ever discovering,
from beginning to end, the work which God has done.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 144:1b and 2abc, 3-4
R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days, like a passing shadow.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Alleluia: Mark 10:45
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 9:18-22
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Meditation
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Word of God invites us today to look at our lives with a little more perspective. The Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us of a simple yet profound truth: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” There are times that we welcome with joy: new beginnings, successes, encounters, healing, and projects that come to fruition. But there are also times we would rather avoid: waiting, failure, separation, difficulties, sacrifices, and tears. Yet the Word reminds us that everything God has made is good in its time.
We often want to immediately understand what God is doing in our lives. We would like to know what comes next, control events, and understand why certain things happen. But Ecclesiastes recognizes that human beings cannot grasp the whole work of God “from beginning to end.” This means that we do not need to understand everything in order to trust God.
Perhaps there is a situation in your life today that you do not understand. You may be asking yourself: “Why is this happening to me? When will it change? Why is God allowing me to go through this waiting period?” The Word invites us not to lose hope. The season we are going through is not our whole story.
The Gospel takes us even further. Jesus asks His disciples: “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers: “The Christ, the Messiah of God.”
Recognizing Jesus as the Christ does not mean that everything will suddenly become easy. Jesus immediately tells His disciples that He will have to suffer, be rejected, die, and rise again. This is an important lesson: believing in Jesus does not mean being spared from all suffering. It means knowing with whom we are going through that suffering.
Jesus Himself experienced a time of trial. He accepted the cross without losing sight of the resurrection. We too can go through difficult periods without believing that God has abandoned us. Let us therefore not despise the season we are living through today. God can be working in our lives even when we cannot yet see any results.
The psalm then reminds us where to place our security: “Blessed be the Lord, my rock!” If our days are “like a passing shadow,” as the psalm says, our hope cannot rest solely on what is changing around us. It must rest on God, our rock.
Therefore, the real question today may not be: “When will this situation end?” but rather: “Lord, what do You want to teach me, and how do You want me to live faithfully through this season You have given me today?”
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus, You know every season of my life. You know my joys and sorrows, my waiting, my plans, my struggles, and my hopes. Teach me not to want to understand everything. When I am waiting, give me patience. When I go through trials, give me strength. When I have to start again, give me courage. When I experience joy, teach me to give thanks. Lord, help me to trust You even when I do not yet understand what You are accomplishing.
Amen.
Intercession
Lord Jesus, we entrust to You all those who are currently going through a season of waiting, trial, illness, mourning, failure, or uncertainty.
Give them the patience to believe that their present situation does not constitute their whole story.
Spiritual Exercise
- Today, I will take a few moments to identify the season of my life that I am currently going through: waiting, joy, trial, starting again, healing, building, or another season.
- I will present this situation to the Lord by simply saying:
“Lord, I do not understand everything, but I choose to trust You.”
- Today, I will refrain from unnecessarily comparing myself with others or from wanting my life to follow their pace.
Rev. Fr. Martial SOH TAKAMTE
