August 28, 2011 ~ Liturgical Year A, Cycle I ~ 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Second Reading: Romans 12:1-2
Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27
These readings can be viewed at http://www.usccb.org/nab/082811.shtml
Reflection Questions
1. How do you think St. Peter reacted to being called ‘satan’? Describe. Why did Jesus decide to speak so strongly to St. Peter?
2. What does this question mean to you: What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
3. What scares you the most about taking up your cross? Describe. Do you trust that Jesus will bring you to new life if you die to yourself? Why/Why not?
Gospel Reflection
Think of your favorite athlete: Where would he/she be without sacrifice and suffering? Odds are they would be watching sports on TV with you and me, instead of being the one on TV. Just as they apply to sports (or the arts, or studies, or anything that requires effort), sacrifice and suffering are important to our growth in love. Sunday’s Gospel passage is a short lesson in the hard work that needs to go into love. We read that Jesus is gathered with His disciples, and they have just experienced the great power of His teaching and miracles. Last week we read that the Lord was going to build His Church upon St. Peter. Yet in the midst of His growing popularity and His big plans for the future, Jesus tells His disciples that He must be rejected, suffer and be killed. Imagine the looks on the disciples’ faces when Jesus told them this shocking news: No doubt they were expecting to head down to Jerusalem for a big party, declare Jesus King, and get ready for the new world order with Jesus at the top. Instead, Jesus was promising a tragic end to the good times they had experienced. Not only did He promise His own death and destruction, but He laid out an unbelievable requirement for being His follower: If you want to follow Jesus, you have to be ready to die as well. Wasn’t Jesus thinking about a potential negative image for the religion He was founding? Didn’t He understand the importance of presenting an exciting message in marketing His program? These strong demands of discipleship show us that Jesus’ first concern was not in making people feel good: Jesus’ first concern is for you and I to grow in love and holiness. This Gospel shows us that Jesus’ ways are not the ways of the world. The world looks for immediate satisfaction and quick pleasure: Jesus looks for long-term joy and love. Jesus challenges us to look to heaven as our place of true longing and fulfillment. So don’t allow the fear of suffering and death to hold you back from Jesus, and don’t allow yourself to avoid life’s struggles by running away from them. May we have the grace to trust Jesus with our entire lives by dying to ourselves and allowing Him to bring us to new life.
No comments:
Post a Comment