Today, Jesus speaks to us, His disciples, of avoiding scandal, which causes “the little ones who believe in Him,” to sin.

We often think that scandal is something of which we are not capable; scandal seems to be something outside of us, those “big, public sins” which appear on TV news.

Jesus speaks to His disciples, you and me, who are loved by Him. Who are “the little ones who believe in Him”? They are our brothers and sisters who are “smaller” than we are, whose faith in Jesus is developing.

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

This is one great example of what our retired Bishop Thomas Olmsted called Catholics in the Public Square, Christ Himself teaches us on critically-important moral issues in our modern times. Bishop writes very clearly:

We very warmly welcome Bishop John Dolan this weekend to Blessed Sacrament Parish for the official Order of Pastoral Installation.

Chapter 8 is the halfway-point of St. Mark’s very short Gospel and it is very theological.

The Scripture we hear and read today is called The Confession of St. Peter and is the turning point of Christ’s ministry. Jesus asks Peter and also asks us personally: “But who do you say that I am?”

These are the only words Jesus says to us today. We have to pay special attention. What Jesus says is important. But he does other things as well. Let’s role play a little with this story. Imagine if someone came up to you, face to face, then poked their fingers in your ears and put spit on your tongue and groaned up to Heaven and said: “Be opened.”