22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Well, here we are at the last weekend of August, and the youngsters are going back to school, and I think at this stage everyone will be happy to get back to the daily routine of school and home life. Time does not wait for anyone though sometimes it seems to just go quickly. The First reading this weekend is from Jeremiah the name of the prophet Jeremiah is often a byword for misery. In today’s reading, the prophet accuses God of being the source of his misery. God has set him a thankless task, where the only reward is insult and derision. Yet, Jeremiah sticks with his mission even though it was a hard job. In the Second Reading Saint Paul recalls the Jewish tradition of sacrificial offerings and encourages his Gentile audience to model themselves around this idea. Having been shown such great mercy, they ought to offer themselves as a holy sacrifice as the perfect way to honour God.
In the gospel reading for this Sunday, we see Jesus telling his disciples that ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. Jesus also began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes this was a pointer to all that happened on Good Friday. Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah that God’s people were waiting on, but he did not understand that Jesus would be a suffering messiah the suffering servant. But it did happen to Jesus, and it happens to those who follow him being a Christian is not always easy and many who took up their crosses gave their lives. Among all the religious symbols of faith in the world none is more universal than the cross. You see crosses everywhere, on walls, on hillsides, in churches, in houses, in bedrooms, on chains around people’s necks, on all kinds of people, on believers, and on people who aren’t sure about what they believe. Not everyone can explain what the cross means or why they choose to wear one, but everyone has the sense that it is a sign and a symbol, perhaps the ultimate symbol of love, fidelity and faith. We are told in our gospel reading to deny our very selves and follow Jesus by taking up the crosses that might come our way. It is so easy to say this but with the grace of God, we can do exactly what Jesus asks of us! With the goal of eternal life as our focus, the Gods grace enables difficult things to become not only possible, but easier for us to see and do.
We can find the life God wants us to live. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit eternal life? Today we pray for all those who find the burden of the cross they carry too hard to bear and we hold them in prayer.
Fullerton T 