Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Fr. Nicholas Colalella  |  09/22/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

What does success look like for a Christian? Our culture has its own standards determining what constitutes success and failure. Fame, wealth, and power are, of course, indicators that one has “made it” in this world.

Consequently, many people seek, by various means, to acquire as much fame, wealth, and power as possible. But as Christians, our standards differ from those of the world. As a result, success looks very different for a Christian. In a letter to a friend, the English poet and Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins described Jesus as a man “doomed to succeed by failure.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples how he is to succeed by failure.

At the beginning of this chapter in the Gospel, Mark relates the story of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus reveals his divine glory to Peter, James, and John. After this, the disciples witness Jesus expel an unclean spirit. On account of his many miracles, Jesus’ renown increases and people from all over seek him out. In the view of the disciples, Jesus is successful; has everything going for him. And the disciples desire to share in this success as they discuss who among them is the greatest. It is no wonder, then, that when Jesus reminds his disciples that he “is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him,” they respond with bewilderment. Why would Jesus risk his success, and theirs as well, by handing himself over to death? In this case, the disciples are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.

The “wicked” in today’s first reading likewise hold to a worldly notion of success. In their materialistic worldview, there is nothing beyond what is seen and experienced in this life, and so death, which marks the end of existence, is the ultimate failure. Consequently, one must enjoy life, even at another’s expense. The way of life of the just man, who trusts in God, is an affront to their hedonistic lifestyle, and so must be eliminated. In their eyes, the just man’s untimely death at their hands represents utter failure, because it appears that God has not come to his aid. They claim success in this regard by their ability to condemn the just man “to a shameful death.” However, later on in the book of Wisdom, the author affirms the contrary: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead . . . But they are in peace” (Wis 3:1–3). The worldly standards of the wicked do not take into account that God is at work through suffering and death because “their wickedness blinded them and they do not know the hidden counsel of God” (2:21–22). What the world considers failure, God uses a means for His victory.

Jesus’ second passion prediction teaches the disciples that true success takes the form of the cross. Jesus accomplishes God’s victory over sin and death not by acquiring fame, prestige, wealth, or worldly power, but by handing himself over to a “shameful death” on a cross, looking like a fool and a failure in the eyes of the world. Yet, as St. Paul reminds us, “the wisdom of this age is foolishness in the eyes of God” (1 Cor 3:19). For Christians, success is achieved by imitating Christ crucified who willingly and wholeheartedly gave his life in loving sacrifice for us. What the world might consider failure or foolishness or a “shameful death” — such as loving one’s enemies, giving alms, going out of one’s way to practice charity without expecting recompense, giving up an hour on Sunday to attend Mass, setting aside time for daily prayer, trying to live poverty, chastity, and obedience, or simply enduring daily trials and struggles with patience and trust — all of this is, in God’s eyes, a success, a victory, because it brings us to the foot of the cross, a place not only of suffering or death, but a place where true life and an abundance of grace are to be found.

Like Jesus, the Christian is someone who is “doomed to succeed by failure.” How, then, does God’s Word this week challenge me to reevaluate my own understanding of success and failure as a Christian? What are some situations in my life that bring me to the foot of the cross, and how might I see these, from the perspective of the Gospel, as opportunities to participate in Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection? Strengthened by our participation in the sacraments, especially the most Holy Eucharist, let us ask for the grace to embrace Jesus’ “failure” in our own lives, so that we who share in His sufferings, may likewise share in His victory.