"And they were afraid to question him."

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Gospel for this Sunday Jesus once again tells his Apostles that he must suffer and die. Then we hear that the Apostles "did not understand [what Jesus was] saying, and they were afraid to question him." It is completely understandable that they would have questions about this, and I am certain Jesus expected it! But... they were too afraid to ask.

We can contrast this with what the Letter of James tells us when it says, "wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity." Jesus, as the Word Made Flesh, is also filled with wisdom from above. So, he would have been peaceable, gentle, merciful, and sincere in his response to the Apostles' questions and concerns. In fact, I imagine he would have been happy, because he was training them to be the leaders of the Church and its primary teachers and preachers after his ascension into heaven. A good teacher appreciates and encourages questions! But you cannot learn what you don't know if you don't ask about it.

So, let us pray this week that we may not be afraid to approach God and the Church with our questions. We live in a complicated world, filled with complex questions and difficult life situations. There are rarely easy answers... and God knows this! Jesus became a man and lived in the midst of this reality! His Sacred Heart is gentle and full of mercy. So do not be afraid to ask the hard questions of God and of His Church, but also be prepared for hard answers. Often, when he seek God in prayer and look to good and worthy mentors and sources for the answers to our hard questions, they aren't necessarily what we want to hear... but they are always what we need.

Want to prepare your heart and mind for this Sunday's Mass? Click here to find the readings.