The readings for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083026.cfm
This week, the evangelist St. Matthew shares a scene that should make us uncomfortable.
Peter loves Jesus.
Peter believes in Jesus.
But Peter wants Jesus on Peter's terms.
We all have a little Peter in us.
Because there are some things in life we don’t want to hear.
And in those moments, our first reaction may be, No, this cannot be happening.
Today, Jesus tells His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Peter’s immediate response is “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
We can understand Peter.
Peter loves Jesus.
He has left everything to follow Him.
But Peter had his own idea about what following Jesus should look like.
And so do we.
We want Jesus.
We want His peace.
We want His promises.
But we don’t always want what it takes to get there.
Jesus tells Peter, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
And then Jesus turns to His disciples, and to us, and says,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus invites us to follow Him.
And when He does, He’s not just asking us to admire Him or to just know things about Him.
And He certainly is not asking us to spend an hour with Him on the weekend and then live the rest of the week like He doesn’t exist.
He says, “Follow me” or in other words, give me your life.
Walk with Me.
Love as I love.
Forgive as I forgive.
Serve as I serve.
Trust the Father as I trust the Father.
Be willing to follow Me wherever that road leads.
And sometimes that road leads to the Cross.
We don’t have to go looking.
Life gives us enough crosses on its own.
Jesus didn’t go around searching for ways to suffer and neither should we.
Maybe taking up our cross is much simpler - and much harder - than we sometimes imagine.
Accepting what we would rather avoid.
Remaining faithful when walking away would be easier.
Forgiving when we would rather hold onto the anger.
Serving someone when we would rather serve ourselves.
Getting up tomorrow morning and following Jesus again.
And then doing it again and again and again.
Following Jesus means that, little by little, something in us has to die.
Each time we put someone else's needs before our own, a little selfishness dies.
Each time we forgive, a little pride dies.
Each time we give rather than take, a little self-centeredness dies.
Each time we say, “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done” something in us dies so that something better can live.
Maybe that is what taking up the Cross looks like most days.
Not one heroic act, but a thousand small decisions to follow Jesus.
Jesus continues,
“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
And while that may sound like a contradiction, it’s at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus.
The world tells us to protect ourselves, put ourselves first, and make life as comfortable as possible.
But we were not created for comfort.
We were created to love, to serve, and ultimately to give ourselves away.
In a few moments, the ultimate giving will happen at this altar.
Jesus doesn’t just tell us to give ourselves away.
He does it first.
“This is my Body, which will be given up for you.”
That’s what love looks like.
That’s what the Cross looks like.
And that’s what following Jesus looks like.
So maybe the question for us this week is not simply,
“What cross am I carrying?”
The more important question is,
“Am I following Jesus while I carry it?”
Because suffering by itself is simply suffering.
But when we unite our suffering to Christ and follow Him through it, even suffering can become a place of grace.
Peter heard Jesus speak about suffering and death, but he couldn't yet understand where that road was leading.
And sometimes neither can we.
But that’s why Jesus doesn't simply tell us to carry the Cross.
He tells us to follow Him.
Because the road with Jesus may pass through the Cross.
But it doesn't ends there.
It leads to resurrection.
It leads to new life.
It leads us home.
No comments:
Post a Comment