Dear Parishioners, ‘and he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer
grievously.’ Two weeks ago, I sat at Old Trafford watching my football team Manchester United being
thrashed by arch rivals Liverpool. It was a painful experience and as I listened to the radio in the car
on the way home the pundit said ‘Man Utd fans are suffering right now.’ It was a true statement.
However, after a day or two the suffering had passed, and I was able to remember that suffering is
part and parcel of life. Sometimes things go well and sometimes they don’t. My suffering was minor
compared to what I know others have suffered in their lives. Jesus in the Gospel today reminds us that
the Son of Man will also suffer and be put to death so that he can rise again on the third day. Suffering
is often a period of time that will pass and often we feel better and stronger for it. Afterwards we may
in some ways feel resurrected. As we reflect on today’s Gospel let us pray that whatever suffering we
endure in this life will help us to one day experience the resurrection and see the risen Christ face to
face. God bless, Fr Andrew.
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