Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
A Time For Everything
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. In the light of Christ, the famous passage from Ecclesiastes that there is a time for everything becomes much more positive than in the thought of the author. He is puzzled, for God does everything at the right time, yet the endless cycle of change bewilders people, and he doesn’t know how to see the right moment, for God has put timelessness in his heart. But the Christian knows that he goes forward to a future in God; to him change means the riches of variety and the opportunity to see the right time and to use it well in the service of the Kingdom.
Opening Prayer
God, in your wisdom
you order the course of time
and you lead the world and people
to their destiny in you.
You do all things well.
Make us see with eyes of faith
the opportunities you give us every moment.
Help us to use our time and life
and all your good gifts
to build up your kingdom stone by stone,
until you complete it in your own good time
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
First Reading
The Right Moment
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot.
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 refrain from embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up; a time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend; a time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.
What advantage does a man gain from all his efforts?
Finally, I reflected on the task God assigned to humans.
He made everything fit in its time, but he also placed eternity in their hearts, although they are not able to grasp the work of God from start to finish.
Responsorial Psalm
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 Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
One day, while Jesus was praying alone, not far from his disciples, he asked them:
“What do people say about me?”
And they answered:
“Some say that you are John the Baptist; others say that you are Elijah, and still others, that you are one of the prophets of old, risen from the dead.”
Again, Jesus asked them:
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered:
“The Messiah of God.”
Then Jesus spoke to them, giving them strict orders not to tell this to anyone.
And he added:
“The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and he will be put to death. Then, after three days, he will be raised to life.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– Lord, there is a time to pray and a time to act, Make us find the time for both, we pray.
– Lord, there is a time to think of our neighbour. Make us serve our brothers and sisters, we pray:
– Lord, there is a time to work for your kingdom. Whatever we do, make us serve that kingdom, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
This is the time, Lord our God,
to give you praise and thanks
for your gifts of life and love
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
With this bread and this wine
we offer you through him the present day,
the joys and failures of the past
and the future we can but see
in visions and dreams of hope.
We are certain of you
on account of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Birth and dying,
laughter and tears,
sickness and healing –
God, these are precious gifts
which come from your hands.
Fill all these with the life and love
and the lasting presence of him
who is our bread of life, Jesus our brother,
that every day may become
a blessed day of the Lord.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Blessing
There is a time for everything. There is a time for our job and our family life, for meeting friends, for resting and recreation. Yet, whatever we do, we do in the name of the Lord. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 9:18-22
Who is Jesus to me?
Luke presents a moment in Jesus’ ministry. He is praying before journeying toward the Cross. Jesus asks what the crowds say about him, then directs the question to the disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “The Christ of God.”
William Barclay calls this “the great discovery.” Jesus needed to know whether his disciples had really understood his true identity. Peter’s incomplete confession showed that the disciples were gradually yet partially grasping the person of Jesus. His mission had not failed.
Yet recognising the title was insufficient. The disciples expected the Messiah to be a conquering king promising victory. Jesus overturned this expectation by announcing that he must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again. They had discovered who Jesus was; now they had to learn what the Messiah meant.
For Barclay, Christianity cannot be a “carried tale.” Knowing what others say about Jesus is insufficient. A person may understand doctrine about Christ but still does not know him. Christianity is not reciting a creed; it is encountering and trusting the person of Christ.
The word “must” reveals Jesus’ obedience. The Cross was not an accident but the fulfilment of his vocation. God’s will had become his will.
This passage asks us questions: Who is Jesus to me, and what does his way reveal about God? If he is the Christ, we must allow him to overturn our desire for power, comfort, and triumph. Knowing Jesus means following the self-giving Messiah whose road passes through the Cross into resurrection.