My Sisters and Brothers:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus told his disciples they would “journey” to Jerusalem, and there he would have to suffer and to die (see Matthew 16:21-27). But he also consoled them with the promise of a subsequent resurrection from the dead. In response to Jesus, Peter the Apostle expressed misgivings and grave reservations about what he had foretold. Clearly, Peter didn’t want Jesus to experience any type of suffering and/or death, but Jesus rebuked him for his lack of understanding. And he said to him: “you are thinking not like God, but rather like human beings.” At that moment, it seemed Peter had focused too much on the promised turmoil of the passing difficulties ahead, and not at all on the broader and long-range assurances of resurrection victory. Seizing on the moment, Jesus then said to all his disciples: “whoever wishes to come after me, must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow me, for whoever wishes to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Today, and with the same urgency, I believe these words are clearly meant for us as well!
To be sure, our Christian calling includes the reality of many noble sacrifices demanded from us as we “journey” through our lives. Jesus promised such! The ways of the “world,” or “as humans think,” certainly were not part of this promise. In fact, not only did Jesus give us the ultimate example of this as he embraced the cross and died, nearly all the Apostles were eventually martyred as well. Even Peter the Apostle, who as we saw in today’s Gospel, had expressed qualms about such possibilities, also would one day be put to death by crucifixion (and just to “add insults to injury,” it’s believed the enemies of Peter crucified him upside-down as they tormented him and put him to death). Thanks be to God, the clear majority of us will never have to make such ultimate sacrifice of our lives in service to the Gospel, but sacrifices we must make! This is the promise of Jesus!
And so, as we contemplate the message of today’s Gospel, we may ask ourselves the following: As followers of Jesus, what does it mean for us “to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses, and to follow him?” In what ways might we erroneously go about “wishing to save our lives” instead of correctly “losing them?” Are we tempted, like Peter the Apostle, “to think not like God, but rather like human beings?” How much confidence do we place in Jesus’ victory over sin, his desire to save us, and in the power of the resurrection, as we embrace the turmoil of the passing difficulties in our lives? And so, “for Jesus’ sake,” how do we “lose our lives” in order “to find them?” To be sure, and given the complexities of each of our individual lives, sometimes it’s not at all easy to answer these questions! But to remain faithful, and as we accept whatever sacrifices we are called to embrace during the “journey,” I believe we must continuously ponder our answers to these questions, and to others like them. And it’s a good idea to do so as we apply our answers to both the small and to the great events of our lives. I believe doing so will very much help to give us focus, a sense of purpose, and true confidence in God’s help and grace along the “journey.”
My friends, let’s try as best as we can to put our qualms to rest as we accept the crosses placed before us! Let’s put our misgivings aside as we profess our faith in Jesus and accept the demands he places upon us! Let’s not hesitate to “journey” to Jerusalem with Jesus, even if it promises difficulties and trials! Let’s not object to the large and the small sacrifices we are called to make! Above all, let’s never lose confidence in the promise of the resurrection, which will give us the fullness of life, and give purposes to all the sacrifices we’ve been called to make during the “journey” of our Christian lives! Let’s pray we will always “wish to follow Jesus, to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses, and to remain faithful to him.” Let’s be sure that in “finding our lives” we always “wish to lose them for Jesus’ sake!” Let’s encourage each other with this message! Amen!
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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