Catechism Links [1]
CCC 618: Christ calls his disciples to take up the Cross and follow him
CCC 555, 1460, 2100: The Cross as the way to Christ’s glory
CCC 2015: Way to perfection by way of the Cross
CCC 2427: Carrying our cross in daily life
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“Simon of Cyrene Carries Jesus’ Cross”
Artist and date are unknown |
Readings for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20:7-9
You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the Lord has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.
I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.
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Commentary on Jer 20:7-9
Jeremiah’s oracle has foreseen the fall of Jerusalem, and the great exile as Israel is sent into slavery in Babylon. In this passage he makes an emotional outpouring to God. He recognizes that God’s word makes him outcast, and people think of him as a lunatic, but even though he has tried to be silent God’s call forces him to cry out in the prophetic voice.
“His [Jeremiah’s] message is always ‘violence and devastation,’ ambiguous whether it is a threat of judgment, the content of the people’s mocking, a report of the people’s sins, or a report of what he has received from their hands (or even from God’s hands).” [5]
CCC: Jer 20:7-18 2584
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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Commentary on Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Psalm 63 is an individual lament. In this selection we see the emotion of one who longs to be reunited with God, separation from whom is like being cast into a desert without water. The singer professes faith in God’s salvation and expresses faith that the prayers offered will be answered.
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Reading II: Romans 12:1-2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.
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Commentary on Rom 12:1-2
St. Paul begins a new topic with these verses from his letter to the Romans. The demands of the “new life” of the Christian are laid out, beginning with the idea of complete dedication to the ideals of their faith. This dedication is expressed here in language reminiscent of the ritual sacrifice of animals as holocaust (burnt offering) in the Hebrew and pagan ceremonies but using the bodies of the faithful in this context. The clear idea is that the Christian, like an animal sacrificed to God as a holocaust ̶ completely burned and offered up to the Lord ̶ is to be wholly given to Christ (see also Leviticus 1:3ff). Purified in the fire of faith they are untainted by the sins of the world (“Do not conform yourselves to this age”) but, in following the will of God, are a pleasing sacrifice to him.
"For the great mass of the Jewish people it was the law which served both as the ethnic boundary and as the ethical framework: the people of God were those who lived 'within the law,' 'under the law,' performing the works of the law as maintaining their membership of the covenant ('covenantal nomism'). Paul had called this understanding of the law in question: the boundary marked by the law and by the physical rite of circumcision no longer existed for him (2:28–29); works of the law which demonstrated Jewishness no longer counted (2:23; 3:20, 27–30). Faith in Christ is the new boundary, circumcision of the heart by the Spirit is the real mark of the true Jew, of eschatological membership of God’s people (2:28–29; 3:21–26; chap. 4)".[6]
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 12:1 2031; Rom 12:2 2520, 2826
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Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27
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.”
Then 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 all according to his conduct.”
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Commentary on Mt 16:21-27
The passage begins with Jesus’ explanation of his coming passion. Jesus, using the title “Son of Man” (see Daniel 7:13-14), foresees his trials and passion. This frightens the disciples and probably confuses many of the entourage (remember, there were more than just the Twelve following Jesus around). St. Peter confronts him, asking him to take a different approach in what he tells his students. Seeing this request as an invitation to take an easier path, Jesus rebukes Peter.
This is the second time within the Gospel of St. Matthew that the Lord instructs the disciples that, if they wish to follow him, they must take up the cross (the first time is in Matthew 10:38). This passage focuses the followers of Christ on the idea that serving the Lord must come before any other purposes in life, since it is through following Jesus that eternal life is gained. It is also explicit that bringing the Word of God, the message of the kingdom of God to the world, will lead to persecution and even the possibility of death.
CCC: Mt 16:21-23 540, 607; Mt 16:21 554; Mt 16:22-23 554; Mt 16:24-26 736; Mt 16:24 226, 618, 2029; Mt 16:25-26 363; Mt 16:25 2232; Mt 16:26 1021
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Reflection:
Summer has flown by and here we are fast approaching Labor Day weekend. For many of us it is a sort of transition; students are back at school, and we mentally transition from a summer vacation to a “back to work” mind-set. Because of our early training, even those of us who have been out of school for a long time feel this same change in outlook.
From a spiritual perspective, our “back to work” direction is set for us scripturally. We have to start with that wonderful opening phrase from the book of the prophet Jeremiah:
“You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.”
Anyone who has made a resolution to really take the message of Jesus with them into their workplace, school, or social group, can completely identify with what Jeremiah is saying. The basic message relayed in the Old Testament’s Law and Prophets, the message of following God’s moral and ethical laws, is a source of great amusement, derision, and quite likely even violent rejection by our secular peers. And that is to say nothing of the New Testament message in which Jesus revealed God’s will to us.
In this secular age where traditional moral values are seen as countercultural and worse, we are often compelled to just “keep our heads down” rather than risking confrontation by those ardent hedonists that make up a majority of the populations outside these walls.
We ask ourselves the question that Jesus asked the disciples of St. John the Baptist who had come to find out if Jesus was the Messiah: “’What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.’” (Matthew 11:7-8a) Jesus was setting expectations for his followers. They were not going to be “Princes of Israel” honored by all the people and the Jewish hierarchy. As Matthew reports in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
So, when we do take the Lord’s message with us into the world, we cannot claim, as the prophet Jeremiah did: “You have duped me.” We have been warned that the message we take will be unpopular. And this takes on a new meaning if we do as St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans:
“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
So, to summarize what we have from Scripture today this is the basic take-away:
First, we can’t be fooled that the message we are called to live is easy. In fact, if we do it right, as exemplified by Jeremiah who apparently was not invited to many parties, we will not be popular among our peers.
Next, we need to work very hard to figure out what we are to do to “discern what is the will of God.” It is only in doing this that we can do what the Lord requires of all Christians.
Finally, we can have no illusions about the task we are asked to take up. It is, as the Lord explicitly states, a cross, his cross that he hands on to us.
All that being said, we ask ourselves another question: Do I have the courage to do the right thing? Can I live according to God’s will and the rule of love he has laid out for me?
Knowing it is difficult, we look at ways we can get to God’s will using “baby steps.” (I really hate to quote the movie “What about Bob”). The first thing we must do is figure out a small thing we can do that will get us closer to what we think God might want us to do. Perhaps it’s as simple as praying each day or perhaps reading the Bible at home to get to know the Lord’s will better. If you are feeling confident, perhaps it’s as simple as not laughing at work or school when someone says or does something intended to be funny but is really hurtful to another person or group.
The challenge is not to take up Christ’s cross all at once. It is way too heavy for us. Like starting an exercise program, we don’t start by running a marathon the first week. We just need to try to lift up one corner with something we can do and keep on doing. Ultimately, when we come before the “Just Judge” we will be asked if we tried to conform ourselves to Christ. We will not be expected to be him.
So, leaving with a short take-away, let’s all try to take a “baby step” toward bringing Jesus’ message into our daily lives. And remember, we are not being duped, we are, as the prophet reminds us, letting ourselves be duped.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used is “Simon of Cyrene Carries Jesus’ Cross.” Artist and date are unknown.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Peter C. Craigie, Jeremiah 1–25, vol. 26, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas, TX: Word, Incorporated, 1991), 275.
[6] James D. G. Dunn, Romans 9–16, vol. 38B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1988), 716.
