Author: admin

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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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“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

These are some of the most famous – and difficult – words ever spoken by Jesus.

Some have interpreted his words to mean the heavier the cross, the harder your life is, the better. We’ve all heard those fire and brimstone preachers; religion is meant to make us miserable.

But they couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Jesus doesn’t want us looking for any extra burdens; in fact, he promises to help lift them. So, what kind of cross is he referring to?

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That clumsy, awkward, often hard to carry cross called life. 

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We might re-interpret Jesus’ words to say: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his life, and follow me.”

So many of us carry the weight of children, marriage, difficult jobs, illness, and bills piling up. Spiritually, we must guard against temptation and try to grow in virtue.

We don’t have to add any extra weight to our shoulders. 

We simply can’t shrug it off. 

That’s the cross.

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What Jesus asks of us is to be faithful to the tasks we’ve been given in life.

If you’re a parent, provide generously for your children; shower them in love. If you have a job, then quietly do the tasks no one else wants to do. 

If you’re a recovering addict, continue on the road to sobriety. If you’re burdened with an illness, endure it in faith. 

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“Whoever wishes to come after me,” Jesus says, “must deny himself, take up his life, and follow me.” Do it without complaint; own it, knowing the Lord is shouldering it with you.

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Image credits: (1) Desiring God (2) Truth for Life Blog (3) Pinterest

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Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-23

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
and he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Peter first met Jesus on the shores of Galilee. He must’ve felt quite special when the Lord looked at him and said, “Follow me.” Notice Jesus appealed to Peter’s feet, not to his mind, which too often got in the way.

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Sometime thereafter, Peter and the other disciples find themselves drifting aimlessly in a storm on the same Sea of Galilee. Mysteriously, the Lord appears and invites Peter, once again, to follow him.

Stepping out of the boat, Peter uses his feet to walk on water. It isn’t until his mind starts racing that he begins to sink. 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” All remain silent, except Peter, who steps forward, proclaiming, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Because of this giant step of faith, Peter receives the keys to the kingdom.

The Lord then washes Peter’s feet as a final act of love at the Last Supper before he himself walks to Calvary.

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At Pentecost, Peter begins leading the Church on earth until the year 64, when the emperor Nero sets fire to Rome, placing the blame on Christians.

Fearing for his life, Peter flees the city…until the Lord appears to him, asking, Quo vadis? “Peter, where are you going?”

Resolved not to deny his Lord again, Peter uses his feet to turn his body around, leading him back into the burning city, where he is condemned to death by crucifixion. 

Feeling unworthy of dying like his Lord, Peter asks his executioners for one final request: to turn him upside down.

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There, in the heart of Rome, in the center of worldly power, he sees the world like his Master did – topsy turvy, upside down, right-side up. 

Those feet that once accepted the call, “Follow me,” have taken their final step.

Those same feet that sank fearfully into the Sea of Galilee are turned upward in hope, pointing to where his heart now belongs – the heavens. 

There, on that awkward, quickly assembled cross, Peter preaches his final sermon – not with words, but with his feet. He fought the good fight. He ran the race to the finish. He kept the faith.

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Using my own two feet, how might I follow Jesus today?

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Image credits: (1) PickPik (2) Christ and Saint Peter, Scarsellino, Harvard Art Museums (3) The Magic of Footprints in Wet Sand, Wall Street Journal

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Jeremiah 31: 1-7

At that time, says the LORD,
I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,
and they shall be my people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people that escaped the sword
have found favor in the desert.
As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,
the LORD appears to him from afar:
With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.
Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will call out on Mount Ephraim:
“Rise up, let us go to Zion,
to the LORD, our God.”

For thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.

The Word of the Lord.

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What is your image of God like?

Is he a distant figure, somewhere over the rainbow? Someone you turn to in times of desperation? Or an intimate friend? 

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In our first reading, the Lord proclaims through the prophet, Jeremiah, “With age-old love I have loved you.” 

God’s love for you is “age-old.” 

Literally, “unchanging; without beginning or end.” 

Meaning, there’s nothing you can do to earn God’s love, nor anything you can do to lose it.

When we’re stuck in a darkened valley – a rut made from our own sinfulness – God still loves us.

When we doubt his existence; when we live life on our own terms; when we take the wheel and put God in the passenger seat, God still loves us.

When we forget to pray, God does not forget us.

When we cry out in our need; when we serve him in our neighbor; when we praise him in gratitude, God loves us… But no more than those moments when we’ve fallen away.

His love is impartial; unchanging; without beginning or end.

Age-old.

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Perhaps this is something to ponder today: Wherever you are on your journey, God is there… There’s nothing you need to do to bridge the distance; no penance needed to smooth things over; no word to wake him.

Simply acknowledge his love for you, and love him in return.

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Image credits: (1) Sewickley Presbyterian Church (2) Better Place Forests (3) heartlight.org