September 3, 2017

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time A

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

Most people seem to have idyllic families, why don’t I?   Most people seem to never have it rough?  Why do I?   Most people don’t really live their faith in regular church attendance, why should I?  Most people support capital punishment, the Church doesn’t.  Why should I follow the Church?  Most people feel that living together before marriage is OK?  Do they have a point?  Most people think that a little cheating on tests and things is OK.  Why is this not OK for me?  Most people think this or don’t think that ….most do this or don’t do that.  Why should I get in trouble by being different from others?   Is Jesus putting just too heavy burdens on me to carry?  Am I different from other people?  Yes!  

To be a follower of Christ means that I am listening to, believing in, following what Jesus said, did and taught.  Did this make the apostles and early Christians different from their families, neighbors and friends?  Yes! Am I called to be different?  Yes! 

I’m called to be the person Jesus needs me to be and graces me to be in my daily living and interactions.  It’s hard to be different.  It’s hard to be good.  It’s hard to follow the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ triple command of  love. These are tough questions for the tough times that we are living.  I really would like to live a relatively easy life and enjoy retirement. Life isn’t that way.  Jesus came to tell us that God loves us.  Jesus calls each one of us to live a deepened relationship with God…this is the only way.  Today’s readings puts this in perspective and helps us to live the Psalm Response, “My soul is thirsting for You, O Lord my God.”

Jeremiah experienced many hardships for being God’s prophet.  The royal court in Jerusalem wanted to live the easy life and not be obligated to the Babylonian empire.  Jeremiah told them that if they opposed Babylon they would fail and would be enslaved and live in exile (Jeremiah 20:4).   It was far more important to accept this and concentrate on living in a right relationship with God. The nobles didn’t like this. For this Jeremiah was beaten and imprisoned.  Today Jeremiah is complaining to God.  How could these people continually resist the message he is giving them from God?  He is feeling that God enticed him into being a prophet and that God would stand by him.  But where is God now?  So Jeremiah has decided to play the ‘silent’ game by refusing to speak God’s message or even mention God’s name.  How often we try the silent game too…the result  is that it seldom works.  It didn't for Jeremiah.  God has proven to be too strong and Jeremiah too weak to resist.  Even if the people resist the truth they must still hear the truth.  How am I in speaking the truth of the Gospels?  Do I fudge what Jesus has spoken and make up some sort of excuse that what Jesus said doesn’t apply in today’s world?

Paul is beginning his explanation to the new Gentile Christians about the duties of being a follower of Jesus, of being a Christian. Look at Jesus and the Gospel.  How are they to interpret the dictates of the Law?  Matthew spells this out in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5: 17)  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets, I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”  Then Jesus begins a series of situations, “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors… you shall not kill….you shall not commit adultery….whoever divorces his will must give a bill of divorce….whoever takes a false oath…an eye for an eye…love your neighbor, hate your enemy”  and Jesus concludes “But I say to you…” Our role is not to conform to the ways to the world but to embrace the ways of the Lord as He stated in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount.  These are not easy.  God’s ways are not easy, never have been.

In the Gospel Matthew shares the first of the three predictions Jesus made of his Passion, Death and Resurrection.  Jesus knows what awaits Him in Jerusalem.  The disciples, even Peter don’t get it.  Why does Jesus have to die on the cross?  Why do I have to take up my crosses each day?  Peter can't understand how a suffering dead Messiah makes any sense?  How could they ever rid their country of the Romans this way?  Jesus outlines the theology of the cross.  A few weeks ago, I started my sermon with the question, “What is the greatest power in the world.”  People were quiet, thinking, one person at each mass gave the correct answer, ‘Love.’  Today I ask, ‘What is the greatest mystery of all?’  NOW THINK ON THIS……

I’m sure that after a while a number would say,’ The mystery of suffering.’  Today Jesus is telling us that in order to be His disciples we must pick up our cross, all our crosses and follow Him.  It's not easy to be the only one on the block or school or the workplace trying to live as a Christian.  And then we ask why does God allow the majority of children in the world to go to bed hungry?  And why does God allow the beautiful and best people to die so early when we need them so?  And why does God allow the powerful and evil people to enslave and use the defenseless poor? The answer to these questions is the cross.  

 Discipleship is following Jesus along the way of the cross.  Peter strongly objected to this today and Jesus told him he was thinking as humans think, not as God thinks and Jesus even called him ‘Satan’ for this.  Strong words…totally missing the point of God’s plan.  So what does the cross teach us:

• That believing in Jesus and His Church does not guarantee any easy life.  Often the opposite is true.
• Christians who suffer must cling to one thing only—the cross of Jesus.
• Jesus knows suffering extremely well—firsthand.
• One said  “Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or to remove it.  He came to fill it with His presence.” 

So I reflect on:

• I take reflective time to look at the crosses I have taken up in my life.  What did I learn?  What did I hear from God?
• How have I found God to be present in my embracing them?
• There is a religion of devotion and a religion of commitment.  A religion of devotion is a religion of comfort and is often centered on self rather than others.  A religion of commitment is a religion of challenge, of risk, of unselfishness.  Agree?
• Is my cross ever negotiable?

Sacred Space 2017 states

   “If we are to be followers of Jesus, we need to let Him lead, accepting that He will not lead us away from suffering, pain, or difficulty.  I pray that I may let go and grow in trust of God’s love for me.

   Peter has just been congratulated as the rock on which Jesus will build His church.  He is comfortable in a theology of grace and glory.  But he is blind to the whole reality.  Lord, help me receive the whole story from You, today and every day.”