22ND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR A
Poor Peter! Just last week we heard Peter tell Jesus that he was the Messiah, the Son of the living God; and Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Now this week, Peter rebukes Jesus and Jesus tells Peter that he’s nothing special; that he’s thinking like everyone else thinks.
All Peter wanted to tell Jesus is that surely God would not want him to suffer. Peter only wanted Jesus to stop talking about death. Peter only wanted Jesus to understand that bad things don’t have to happen if he would stop talking in ways that challenged the power structures of the world. Peter was just trying to protect Jesus. He didn’t want Jesus to get into trouble.
But, Jesus would have nothing to do with that! Jesus had resisted Satan’s plans and the ways of the world and had chosen to be faithful to God and God’s plan for the world. So must we if we are going to be his followers.
I’m sure Peter meant well when he took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking about his death. But Peter was always slow on the uptake. He didn’t understand the ways of God – at least at this point. He just didn’t realize that what he was saying had been shaped by Satan and that he was being used by Satan.
If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, then you will lose your life. But, if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
And how do we do that? How do we die in order to live? We must die to wealth, ambition, and selfishness. We must die to group think and the fear of being different and acting different than popular culture dictates we think and act.
St Paul reminds us to not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, God’s good, acceptable and perfect will.
Are you ready to risk thinking differently than others? Are you ready to risk being different than others? Are you a disciple of God’s kingdom, willing to die to self for the reign of God? Are you ready to put God first – above the prejudices, hatreds, and divisions that plague our country and our world?
The world tells us that those who want to save their lives can do so, mostly by possessing more things, by following the crowd, by living in ever greater comfort. Jesus pulls no punches; he challenges us to be ready to lose our lives in order to save our lives.
Jesus was so focused on God’s plan. He knew very well what it would mean to be close to the poor and make love the greatest commandment. Yet he did not shy away from his mission; on the contrary, he scolded one of his closest friends, going so far as to call him Satan.
He then calls Peter - and us - to follow him on his way to the cross by carrying our own cross every day.