Walking with Jesus: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27

Many frequently take stock of their lives; it is a good exercise. They look at the many drawbacks that have arisen … some seemingly unsurmountable and others that were overcome. They look with gratitude on those who have helped them through the troubled waters. They have some regret for the obstacles but hopefully are comfortable in their “new” direction. Do we allow our detours to help blaze new paths? Have we reflected on the obstinacy that we’ve seen in ourselves? Has this led us to follow the path of “it’s my way or the highway?” In reflecting, have we noticed the “hand of God” present? Have we expressed our gratitude to God not only for being present but also for being a big and noticeable part? Have we ever realized that God is leading us closer to Himself: that the goal of our life follows God’s plan; that the ultimate goal is heaven with Him forever? Each person’s life is a series of encounters leading us to this truth. It is opposed very actively by Satan. Can we distinguish what has come from God from what has come from the subtle, compelling trickery of Satan and his minions? We can see all of this happening in today’s readings. Let us see how God brings us closer to His plans, directed by His love and care.

Jeremiah has struggled with God. He was born into a priestly family and called to be a prophet in his early 20s when King Josiah had begun a hopeful reform. Unfortunately, Josiah had died in a battle with Egypt while Babylon, a new power, simultaneously arose. The collapse of the kingdom could have been avoided if the king and people had listened and followed Jeremiah’s message. Like other prophets, Jeremiah suffers in God’s service with years of arrests, imprisonment and public disgrace, trying to counsel the leadership that refuses to listen. Today’s passage shows how Jeremiah has decided to stop speaking God’s word because it brings him only ridicule, contempt and no respect. This is not God’s plan. The people must hear God’s word through him -- their salvation is at stake. They ccan ignore Jeremiah, but they cannot escape the inevitable truth of God’s plan. Now each of us has a role to play. We have been loved and cared for; never abandoned by God. Am I an active participant in sharing what I have been given -- my gifts, love, merciful forgiveness, as one especially chosen by God? Just look at our families; all relationships are difficult. People, especially those we love the most, can drive us crazy. Jeremiah says it perfectly: “You duped me, O Lord … I am an object of laughter, everyone mocks me … the word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach. I say to myself, I will not mention Him, I will speak in His name no more … I cannot endure it.” [Jeremiah 20:7-9]

Paul is telling us that as members of the Body of Christ we are called to be Jesus in everything we say and do. Are our minds filled with the ideals of the Gospel? Or are they preoccupied with this passing world? Relationships with our own world are troublesome and challenging. They should be challenging because as Christians, Satan is leading the world away from Jesus and His gospel. Christianity demands our presence at the foot of the cross, looking at Jesus, learning His unconditional love. His path is diametrically opposed to Satan’s world of fear, hurt, pain, selfishness and sin. Am I too “conformed,” as Paul says, to my present world?

Matthew today shares Jesus’ first passion prediction. Jesus describes in detail what being a Messiah and His follower means. The exacting challenge is that Jesus refutes the popular thoughts associated with the expected Jewish Messiah. This was an enormous challenge to the apostles, as we see from Peter today. Jesus is going to Jerusalem to suffer greatly from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed on the horrendous cross, signifying total denial of anything good ... and on the third day He will be raised. This means that discipleship is not about accumulating power, glory, fame or fortune. It is about self-denial: taking up our cross and following Jesus. Our cross is not a battle of good over evil, but a means of bringing God’s promise of resurrection into our lives and the lives of those we love. In sharing, caring, forgiving and loving, we prepare and transform ourselves into God’s plan for eternal happiness with Him forever. I heard a story of one pastor’s sermon advice: “The most tragic thing anyone might say to us is, ‘Oh, you’re a Christian? I had no idea!’ That is, if it looks easy and comfortable, we’re probably not following Jesus.”

So I reflect on:

• I make a list of difficult relationships: What is similar about these conflicts? Do I experience these issues in relating to God?
• Am I more uncomfortable in the mall or in church?
• When does surrender to the will of God feel almost too hard to carry? How have I experienced the Lord’s grace in carrying that cross?
  

Sacred Space 2020 states:

“Jesus knew very well what it would mean to make love the greatest commandment and to remain close to the poor. Yet He did not shy away from His mission; on the contrary, He fiercely scolded His closest friend, even calling him Satan. He then calls us to follow Him on His way to the cross by carrying our own cross every day. I ask Jesus to defend me from the traps of Satan and to give me an ever greater desire to be His true disciple.

“Our culture seems to claim that those who want to save their lives can do so, mostly by possessing more things and living in ever greater comfort. Jesus pulls no punches; He challenges us to be ready to lose our lives in order to save them. I ask myself what this means to me here and now. Do I feel called to let go of something precious to me so that I can live more fully?”