Posted on 09/25/2026 11:12:13 PM PDT by fidelis
While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Luke 9:43b–45
After Jesus revealed His coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection to the Twelve for the first time, eight days passed. Then He took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where He was transfigured before them. That extraordinary glimpse of His divine glory may well have been a source of consolation, dispelling some of the sorrow and confusion they had carried since hearing the unsettling news that their Master would suffer and die.
Upon descending the mountain, Jesus and the three Apostles rejoined the remaining disciples and were met by a large crowd. A man in the crowd presented Jesus with his son who was possessed by a demon.
Jesus delivered the boy, and in response, “all were astonished by the majesty of God” (Luke 9:43a). It is immediately in this context of public amazement and admiration that Jesus once again turns to His disciples and predicts His Passion for the second time, as we read in today’s Gospel.
Jesus’ first prediction, recorded earlier in Luke 9, comes across as more reserved and instructional. But in this second pronouncement, there is a new tone that is more urgent and emphatic: “Pay attention to what I am telling you…” His words carry weight, demanding serious reflection. And yet, despite His directness and solemnity, the Gospel tells us: “they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it…” Even more, they were afraid to question Him.
Why was the meaning hidden from them? The answer lies in the mystery of what theologians call “divine pedagogy.” God often reveals His truths gradually, preparing the soul to receive what it cannot yet bear. The Passion of Christ is not only a historical event but a spiritual reality that we must accept with faith. Without the light of the Cross and Resurrection, the notion of a suffering Messiah remained incomprehensible to the Apostles. God permitted the veil over their understanding not as a punishment, but as a protection lest they fall into despair or distortion of the truth. Only after the Resurrection and Pentecost would their hearts be fully opened to grasp the necessity and glory of Christ’s suffering.
In our own journey of faith, we too encounter truths that seem hidden or are difficult to grasp. We may wonder why God allows confusion, trials, or periods of spiritual obscurity. When that happens, we can learn much from Jesus’ interaction with the Twelve in this passage.
Reflect today on these hidden moments in your own life. Are there aspects of God’s will you do not yet understand? Are there things that fill you with fear and tempt you to despair? Do not be afraid to approach Jesus with your questions, even if answers do not come immediately. Trust that in His perfect time, all will be revealed and that the Cross always precedes the light of the Resurrection.
Most mysterious Lord, the truth of who You are and what You do in my life is beyond my comprehension. When I am confused by life’s circumstances, please fill me with confidence in You and trust in Your providence. I know that You know all things and that You will my good. May I trust You in the midst of confusion and press forward with humility, knowing that, in the end, everything will come to light and be made known. Jesus, I trust in You.
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The Month of September is Dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
“And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.’” (Luke 2:33-35)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September, 2026:
For the care of water
Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.
Today’s First Reading
From: Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8
Wisdom and youth
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[9] Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
[10] Remove vexation from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Thoughts on death
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[1] Remember also your Creator in the day's of your youth. I before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; [2] before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain; [3] in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows are dimmed, [4] and the doors on the street are shut; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; [5] they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets; [6] before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, [7] and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
[8] Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
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Commentary:
11:8-10. Life is short, and the future that awaits everyone is uncertain ("vanity": v. 8). Hence the advice given in vs. 9-10. The Preacher is not recommending hedonistic materialism; one needs to be ever mindful that God punishes and rewards, although, as the author sees it, that happens within the bounds of this life.
12:1-7. The second part of the book began by pointing out that a person who seeks true wisdom does not dodge difficult issues, including that of death (7:1-2). The author rounds off this part by focusing on the Creator and on the end of man's life. Death, and what will happen when it comes, is described very forcefully here. The wisdom of man cannot penetrate beyond it. Viewed from the perspective of death, man's life is a temporary gift given him by God. One can glance back at one's youth and also at the years one may still have ahead (v. 1) and ponder the tenuous nature of life and remember that death is coming. This is truly the office of a teacher of wisdom -- to help individuals see what possibilities lie open to them, so that they can make free and responsible choices. This is what the Preacher has done, as he says at the end of his text. "Death is the end of earthly life. Our lives are measured by time, in the course of which we change, grow old and, as with all living beings on earth, death seems like the normal end of life. That aspect of death lends urgency to our lives: remembering our mortality helps us realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfilment'' (“Catechism of the Catholic Church,” 1007).
12:8. This verse repeats almost word for word what was said at the start of the book (cf. 1:2). The statement, in addition to acting as a title to the book, confirms that even the lifestyle outlined in the final chapters (cf. 7:9-12:7) is still "vanity of vanities". True wisdom consists in realizing this and accepting it. Christian asceticism has accepted the general thrust of the Preacher's message (detachment from worldly values, and attachment to God's commandments) and indeed its written form -- use of short, incisive phrases, and a use of contrasts to good effect. Christian commitment has often been described in such terms – as the imitation of Christ combined with rejection of the world’s vanities: ''He who follows me does not walk in darkness, says the Lord. These words are Christ's. in which he counsels us to imitate his life and deeds if we truly desire to be enlightened and freed from all blindness of heart. Our study should consist, therefore, in a consideration of the life of Jesus. [...] Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, unless one strives to love and serve God alone. The height of wisdom is to set aside this world in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Vanity is to seek the riches that perish and to place one's hope in them. It is vanity, too, to seek human glory and boast of it. Vanity is to yield to the desires of the body, for which you must bear a greater punishment in the afterlife. It is vanity to desire long life and not to live it well. Vanity is to concern yourself only with this life and fail to contemplate the life to come. It is vanity to give your love to things that will so soon pass away and not to seek earnestly the joy that will last forever. Call to mind often that saying from the Scriptures: "Neither has eye seen, nor ear heard," and try to tear your heart away from what is visible, to move beyond into what remains invisible" (Thomas a Kempis, “The Imitation of Christ,” 1, 1-5).
From: Luke 9:43b-45
Second Prophecy of the Passion
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[43b] But while they were all marvelling at everything He (Jesus) did, He said to His disciples, [44] "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men." [45] But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.
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Commentary:
44. Christ predicts His passion and death a number of times. Initially He does so in veiled terms (John 2:19; Luke 5:35) to the crowd; and later, much more explicitly, to His disciples (Luke 9:22), though they fail to understand His words, not because what He says is not clear, but because they do not have the right dispositions. St. John Chrysostom comments: "Let no one be scandalized by this imperfection in the Apostles; for the Cross had not yet been reached nor the grace of the Spirit given" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 65).
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