Gospel Delights!

Sunday, September 3, 2023

22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27

This Sunday, we are called to reflect on the ‘irony’ of vocation. Though vocation is a call to follow God and therefore a joyful endeavor, it is not without its challenges. There is an anecdote from the life of St. Teresa of Avila. On one of her long trips to a far-off convent, she fell off a horse into the mud. Whatever the circumstances, she heard Jesus say to her, “This is how I treat my friends,” to which she replied, “If this is how You treat your friends, it is no wonder You have so few!” 

The theme of irony runs through all three readings.

The first reading beautifully captures the theme we are trying to reflect on. Prophet Jeremiah feels duped. He was roped into God’s mission because Jeremiah could not resist the power of God’s call. As God’s emissary, he should have witnessed praise and honor accorded to him. But his experience on the ground baffles him. In his anger and disappointment, the prophet swears he will not mention the name of God. Nevertheless, he cannot endure the agony of containing within him the burning fire of God’s word. Since his silence would be more intolerable than the suffering, his relief comes only when he spits God’s Word out. Though he is in God’s business against his will, only by faithfully discharging it despite all the difficulties it presents, can the prophet discover his peace and quiet. 

In the second reading, the phrase ‘living sacrifice’ looks contradictory. Usually, something that is alive cannot be sacrificed. However, St. Paul invites us to offer our bodies as a ‘living sacrifice.’ We are made pure when we die to the pleasures of the body. As Christians, our pursuit is after the eternal and not after something fleeting. Also, Paul reminds us to behave like Citizens of Heaven. Being present in this age, we are called to live as if we live in ‘a colony of Heaven,’ ever oriented to renew our minds and discern God’s will for us. 

In the gospel, when Jesus talks about discipleship, we cannot overlook the apparent ‘paradoxes.’ Following Jesus carrying one’s cross, saving one’s life to lose it, and losing it in order to find it are some examples that baffle us at times. However, we cannot deny the fact that the martyrs and saints lived up to the truth of these words, discovering for themselves what Jesus truly meant by them. How else can one explain the fact that when he was being stoned to death, St. Stephen’s face lightened up (Acts 7:54-60)? We can safely assume that the ‘Holy’ people knew something that we don’t. That is how they also found their ‘life’ in their death.  

Yet another irony comes from the scene of Jesus rebuking Peter for thinking like ‘human beings,’ although on last Sunday we found Jesus praising Peter and making him a leader with keys to the Kingdom. The moment of Divine Revelation for Peter was so brief that after coming up with a beautiful confession on Jesus’ identity, he now retracts to being ‘human’ (weak and vulnerable again!). Peter is left to ruminate over the irony of Jesus’ ‘glorification through suffering.’ He discovered the meaning better when he became a martyr himself!

Only with the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), Saints, and Martyrs, I believe we uncover the myth of ‘irony’ that the Christian vocation is home to. I do believe that undeterred by the smoke screen of ironies, the Holy People walked faithfully to take ownership of the Divine bliss and salvation. Divine Assistance and our persistence will help us demystify the challenges and find our footing in our Christian vocation. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar