Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 16: 24-28

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope in May of last year, he took the name of Leo. I was surprised to learn that he previously spent a good portion of his priestly ministry as a missionary in Peru.

Prevost arrived in Peru the same year I was born, in 1985, landing shortly after devastating El Niño rains washed away a number of locals and their poorly constructed homes. His first task was to minister in a disaster area. 

Life for Prevost didn’t get much better, at least in terms of worldly comforts. Just a few years after the floods came, Peru endured a bloody civil war. Still, in spite of floods and violence, he stayed the path; he loved his flock.

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When we hear about stories about people who do heroic things with their lives, it’s easy to not only admire their courage, but also to wonder, “Why?”

Why be ordained a priest? Why leave the comforts of America to live among the poorest of the poor? Why stay in a flood zone or war-torn country when you have a way out? 

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Such were the feelings of Saint Peter when Jesus told him that they were headed to Jerusalem where the Son of Man would suffer, die, and be raised. Focusing too much on suffering and death, Peter forgot the final part of that plan.

He wanted a safe Jesus; a comfortable Jesus; a way for Christ to be his Lord – and for Peter to be his disciple – without having to walk the road of suffering. 

This initiates Christ’s response in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

The Lord does not want us to die. He wants us to live! 

But fear of death always turns into a fear of life. 

Fear can freeze us into a comfortable existence whereby we can lose meaning and opportunities that God has in store for us – think no further than Pope Leo. Had he succumbed to fear, then he never would’ve become a priest, a missionary, or now the pope!

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Perhaps taking up our cross means letting go of our fears, too – the fear of losing control; the fear of suffering; the fear of death, so that God can strengthen us to truly live – not only in the here and now, but also in the life to come.

What might that look like today?

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Image credits: (1) Quo Vadis, Annibale Caracci, National Gallery, London (2) Pope Leo, America Magazine (3) Amazon, Shesinee

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Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, 
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them; 
his face shone like the sun 
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here, 
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, 
then from the cloud came a voice that said, 
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes, 
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone 
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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God the Father only speaks twice in the Gospels. 

The first moment comes at Christ’s baptism.

Jesus is plunged into the Jordan River by John. Upon being drawn out of that watery tomb, the heavens are opened and the Spirit descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove.

Suddenly, the Father proclaims from the heavens, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

No other word is spoken from heaven until the Transfiguration, which we hear in today’s Gospel.

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Jesus leads his inner circle – Peter, James, and John – up a high mountain, where his clothes become dazzling white. The disciples stare in wonder as Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah, two prophets from the Old Testament. 

Suddenly, the Father appears again in a cloud, repeating the same words he spoke at Christ’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Then the Father disappears, never to speak again, leaving Jesus alone with his disciples.

Why does the Father only appear at these two events in Christ’s earthly life? And why does he repeat himself, saying nothing else?

To affirm that Jesus is the Son of God; he is filled with the “Spirit of the Lord,” and thus Jesus speaks on his Father’s behalf. Whatever truths God wants to share with creation come from the mouth of the Lord.

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“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

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To “listen” to Jesus not only means to hear his voice, but also to obey what he says. Doing so assures us a share in his divine life, which we receive a glimpse of today. How do we make time to listen to, and act upon, the voice of the Lord? 

May the words of the prophet Samuel become a daily mantra for us: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

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Image credits: (1) Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Michelangelo (2) The Transfiguration, Raphael (3) Where God is Now Ministries

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Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The healing of this woman’s daughter is one of only two miracles in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus performs at a distance. The other being a centurion’s slave. In both cases, the person healed is a Gentile, not a Jew.

This is important for two reasons. 

First, Jews held a very exclusive idea of God. They were a holy people; an appointed race; a nation set apart by God to be blameless in his sight. 

As the Psalmist tells, “He proclaims his statutes and laws to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; he has not taught them his decrees” (Psalm 147:20).

Second, in the ancient world, Jews and Gentiles were enemies. Jews allowed themselves no contact with other people or nations, lest they became impure – and by extension, unpleasing in God’s eyes.

Thus, for Jesus to heal a Gentile was mindboggling, if not outright scandalous, which is why Mattew wants his listeners to experience the tension building between Jesus and this desperate mother in today’s Gospel.

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First, she hears of Jesus approaching and rushes out to greet him, shouting repeatedly for mercy. In spite of being dismissed by the disciples, and completely ignored by the Lord, she continues in desperation, pleading for help. 

When Jesus finally does acknowledge her, she falls at his feet, disregards him calling her a “dog,” and returns a blessing, instead, calling him both “Lord” and “Son of David,” titles of respect, if not also an acknowledgment of his divinity. 

Only after this woman has been brought to the very brink of despair, does the Lord heal her daughter and commend her faith, saying he’s not found anything as profound in Israel.

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What might this harrowing passage mean for us?

It serves as a reminder that there is nothing more appealing to the Lord than a person of faith, which transcends every boundary, including nation and race.

Sometimes the Lord tests our faith only to strengthen it.

And God has come to save us all, beginning with those – like this mother – who will do anything to reach him.

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Image credits: (1) Back to the Bible (2) Jesus and the Canaanite Woman, Benjamin Beeks, Medium (3) Tumblr