“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Sunday, 27th August 2017.
Twenty Second Week in Ordinary Time
Jer 20:7-9;
Ps 62:2-6, 8-9;
Rom 12;1-2;
Mt 16:21-27
OFFER LIFE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO LOSE IT
“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24). God assured Abraham a posterity as numerous as the stars in the sky, then he asks him to sacrifice his son Isaac, who would make His promise a reality. A test like this may well be faced only by one who firmly believes, like Abraham. Jesus, today promises to introduce the disciple into life. “The one who follows me will have the light of life … will never see death … will never experience death” (Jn 8:12, 51-52)
“God is good with the just, with people of clean heart” (Ps 73:1). “Trust in Him and let him act and he will make the justification of your cause bright as the sun” (Ps 37:5-6). God had called Jeremiah: “Go whatever be the mission I am entrusting to you, and you will speak of whatever I command you to say.” When he was scared, complaining to be young; and not knowing how to speak, the Lord assures him: “Do not be afraid…for I will be with you to protect you…They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue you” (Jer 1:7-8, 19). Jeremiah agreed, but he was misunderstood, opposed, asked to be silent, beaten and imprisoned. At this point Jeremiah raised his lament to God, mentioned in today’s first reading: “Yahweh, you have seduced me and I let myself be seduced”. The prophet likens his vocation to a seduced girl who, having been flattered by the sweet words of a young man and having succumbed to his proposals, she is abandoned to her fate. She has nothing more but to curse the moment she believed in a false love. In his despair, he is filled with anger and bitterness of a lover and he exclaims: “I’ll think no more of God and speak no more in his name”. But, as one who has experienced an irresistible love, Jeremiah fails to free himself of the Lord who has seduced him. The passion burns in his heart like a fire that is impossible to extinguish. Despite the excruciating pain and disappointment that he undergoes, he cannot give up his mission.
In the Second Reading, Paul advises Christians not to comply with the “mentality of this world,” a way of thinking considered normal, prudent and sensible by all. The Christians must not end up thinking like the others and adapt themselves to the morality which is considered normal by others. The Christian needs to become aware, be vigilant, and with a renewed mind discern at all times, what is the behavior acceptable to God, even if it is incomprehensible to people.
In the Gospel, Jesus crushes the expectations of the Apostles. The expectations of the apostles was opinionated by the general expectation of the Jewish community of a better world of peace and justice. They were convinced that the coming of the kingdom of God was imminent, and their master was the Christ, the long-awaited “Son of David.” Since the transfiguration experience, and the handing of the keys of the kingdom to Peter, they followed Jesus to witness to the realization of their dreams of glory.
Jesus aware of this illusion, decides to correct the convictions of his disciples. He openly declares that he is not walking towards triumph, but he is going to Jerusalem to suffer, to be killed, and be raised again on the third day. The disciples could not understand this, since they had learnt from Jewish rabbi that the Messiah would not die, that at his coming, the righteous would rise from their graves and take part in the joy of His kingdom. Thus Peter reacts. He does not accept to stand on a road that leads straight to failure. He tries to convince Jesus and change his mind.
The reaction of Jesus: “Get behind me, Satan.” Peter was not committing a simple mistake. He is moving in the direction opposite to that of the Lord. He is acting just like Satan who tried to convince Jesus to focus on the reign, on the conquest of power. He had led him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, saying, “All this I will give you, if you kneel down and worship me” but Jesus had decidedly reacted: “Be off, Satan” (Mt 4:8-10). Now the same temptation—advanced by Peter—cannot but be responded with the same hardness.
In last Sunday’s Gospel, Simon had been named by Jesus as the living stone of the church because he had received the revelation of the Father, had accepted His plan of salvation and had professed his faith in the Son of the living God. Now he becomes a stumbling block because he lets himself be guided by human reasoning. After having rebuked Peter, Jesus turns to all and unequivocally puts forward his demands. Jesus is not soft to them but firm.
Three imperatives characterize the radicalness: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow me.” Firstly, ‘Deny yourself’ means the disciple stops thinking about him/herself. This requirement is contrary in our individualistic world. The pursuit of one’s own interest, even in the most pure acts of love is often some veiled form of selfishness and ambition. The disciple of Christ is called, first of all, to give up any personal gain, even the spiritual one. His focus is to do the will of his beloved God. Like a lover, he forgets himself to do his beloved’s will. Secondly, ‘Take up your cross,’ does not refer to patiently endure the small or big tribulations of life as a means to please God. The Christian does not seek suffering, but love. The cross is the sign of love and of total gift. To carry it after Christ means to follow the way he has trodden: to offer one’s life for his same ideals, confront, if necessary, also persecutions and death to remain faithful to the gospel. Finally, ‘Follow me,’ means to share Jesus’ choice, to take part in His project, with love surrender your life to God’s project. bet your life on love, together with me.
Jesus concludes with three reasons to convince his disciples to accept the three difficult imperatives. First, the one who gives his own life, actually, does not lose, but gains it. Only one who has the courage to lose the ‘seed of his life’, throwing it into the ground, “preserves” it, “recovers” it. Second, the life of this world passes quickly. It is transient, fragile, and not worth clinging desperately to it as if it were eternal. Third is the ultimate reward. At the end, the Lord will not look at the titles of honor that we will be able to put in front of our name, but the works of love that will follow the name.
Prayer: Lord, I love You. May I never fear to deny myself, to take up my cross, and to follow you. May I grow in love with you, so that I may live my life for love of you. May all my actions be guided by my relationship with you. May I follow your selfless sacrifice, and become a sacrifice for my brothers and sisters. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.