22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
In the lives of each one of us, there is a cross. The cross can be caused by someone else or brought upon ourselves due to our own decisions. Sometimes the cross is neither the fault of others nor ourselves. We are human and are not perfect like God? Whatever the cause, Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” To be the true disciple of Christ we must take up our own cross and follow Him. Today’s readings encourage us to overcome all obstacles and to surrender ourselves completely to God.
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah lamented, “Lord you have seduced me, and you have overpowered me.” He complained about his mission. “Lord God, you did not tell me it was this difficult.” Of course, at the beginning of his call, he resisted God, saying, “Lord truly I do not know how to speak, I am only a boy.” However, God chose him even from his mother’s womb. (Jer 1: 4) Faithfulness to God sometimes brings us pain, trials, and disappointment. Despite all this suffering, God shields and blesses us.
In the second reading, St. Paul invites us to “offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” Submit yourself to God without resistance; this total submission is essential to a life of righteousness, joy, peace, and victory in Christ. We have to live as true Christians. Our daily lives must conform to the will of God. All our actions must be for the honor and glory of God.
In today’s gospel, we see the irony of life. Last week, St. Peter proclaimed that Christ was the Messiah but today Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan.” Christ rebuked Peter for being an obstacle to His mission. Jesus explained to his apostles, that even though he is the Messiah, He has to undergo humiliation, suffering, and violent death at the hands of the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. After correcting Peter, Jesus announces the three conditions of Christian discipleship: (1) deny yourself, (2) take up your cross, and (3) follow me.
First, denying oneself means, at every moment of our life, we must say no to self and yes to God. We must give first place to God whatever we do or say. Secondly, Jesus tells the disciples to take up their cross; this means our Christian life is a sacrificial service. We must abandon our personal ambition in order to serve God. We have to sacrifice our time and talent for Him. We must be constantly aware of the demands of God and the needs of others. We must accept the pains and difficulties of Christ and others. Finally, Our Christian life is a constant following of our Lord. Constant obedience in thought, word, and action to Jesus.
As true disciples of Christ, we need to ask ourselves every day, “Did I sacrifice a part of my time, and talents for Christ and others? Did I practice self-control over my thoughts, words, deeds, and use of mass media? Did I train my children in the faith?” Encourage them to spend some time together as a family praying and reading the Bible. Try to teach your children and others by your example of forgiving others and asking pardon for your own sins and failures. We must follow Christ by denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Him in this way.
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