Gospel Reflection Aug 30 – Deacon Frank Iannarino
Sunday, August 30
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 16:21-27
Gospel:
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.”
Gospel Reflection:
God’s word in the Bible can be difficult – both for those who heard it when he spoke to them and for we who hear his Word today. We know that Jesus speaks challenging words throughout the New Testament.
In this weekend’s Gospel reading, Jesus explains to his disciples how he will suffer death, be buried, and then rise again on the third day. Peter is baffled by these predicted events. He cannot help but protest, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you. Peter’s reaction reveals his affection for our Lord and his attachment to human understanding. As Jesus explains in reply, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
For many of us, like Peter, it is easy to be attached to finite understanding – but God has a bigger vision for the lives of those who love him. Jesus invites us to think as God does and live beyond human understanding.
When speaking to his disciples, Jesus explains that those who wish to come after him must live in ways that are difficult: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. May we find that the path God calls us to surpasses our understanding.”
As we come to Mass this weekend, let us ask our Lord for the grace to hear and answer his call to offer ourselves in love – even if that call challenges us in ways we are not expecting.
Deacon Frank Iannarino