Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Mark (9: 30-37) in which Jesus again tells the disciples he must suffer and die, and says, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Fr Paul says, after Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah the road to Calvary is marked out by three predictions of the Passion – that is the death and resurrection of Christ. These predictions become more and more explicit. Each time the inability of the disciples to understand and accept the message is stressed. On this occasion they are too ashamed to ask any further questions.

At each of the three predictions the same thing happens: The Passion of Jesus; the disciples misunderstanding; and, finally, the disciples must share the Cross of Christ.

On this occasion Jesus also puts forward a child is to show how the least honoured members of society should be treated. In this modern era, we are especially sensitive to the rights of children. This was not the case in the ancient world, perhaps, because of the high infant mortality rate: only a small minority of children would reach adulthood. So, the child represents the most neglected segment of society, and Jesus chooses the child to stress that all human beings have infinite value, being made in the image of God. All deserve the same respect, love and care.

Fr Paul invites us to think about today’s Gospel Lesson – All human beings have infinite value. All human beings are made in the image of God. All human beings deserve respect, love and care.