By Fr Francis Gonsalves, SJ –
Twenty-second Sunday of the Year – Cycle A – August 30, 2020
Readings: Jer 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Mt)
Prologue: All the three readings of today speak of sacrifice in one way or the other, with three disciples—Jeremiah, Peter, Paul—responding differently to the same reality. At heart is God’s call not to be conformed to the world and the worldly way of thinking, but to be transformed and to look at persecution, suffering and pain from God’s viewpoint, which is epitomized by the Cross of Christ.
Three Signposts from Scripture:
- Jeremiah’s Prayerful Outburst: Of all the prophets of the First Testament, Jeremiah is probably the most God-liked and Christ-like, yet, hated by the ‘world’. His prophetic call begins with God’s assurance: “Do not be afraid … for I am with you” (1:8) that wipes out his youthful protest: “I am only a boy!” (1:6). However, throughout his life he was to suffer insult, injury, imprisonment, threats, rejection, mockery and persecutions. Moreover, he was also cast into a dry well and imprisoned in the stock: a wooden frame through which his hands and feet were fastened, and he quite literally complains of becoming ‘laughingstock’! Jeremiah’s plight is paradoxical—he can be pitied; for, on the one hand, when he prophesies, he is persecuted; but, on the other hand, when he decides: “I will not mention him [God], or speak any more in his name,” he feels, “within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (v.9). Thus, unable to bear the ‘inner fire of God’s word’ he feels forced to prophesize once again! And, obviously, he will suffer, once more. Such is the power of God’s word, and such is the dilemma of the disciple-prophet. The sincerity and straightforwardness of his prayer can only be admired: “O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed” (v.7). Jeremiah remains God’s loyal prophet to the very end.
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Peter as Foundation-Stone or Stumbling Block? Saint or Satan? In today’s gospel passage, Peter—Petros or Kephas—is journeying with Jesus and the other disciples towards Jerusalem. That he “must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering” (v.21) is extremely clear to Jesus himself. But, sadly, for Peter—and most probably for the other disciples, too—Jerusalem means everything else except suffering and the cross. Interestingly, this passage—coming soon after last week’s passage when Jesus names Peter as the ‘rock’ upon which his Church is to be built—is quite shocking with Jesus telling Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” (v.23). Why Satan? At the start of his ministry, when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Mt 4:1-11), his main temptation was to take the easy way out, to avoid the Cross, and to give in to shortcut sensationalism. In the wilderness, Jesus resists the devil and his snares with the rebuke: “Away with you, Satan!” (Mt 4:10). Now, he rebukes Peter with the same words because Peter seems to be doing the same work which the devil was attempting to do at the start of Jesus’ mission. Wouldn’t it have been surprising, sad and a setback for Peter to be called ‘foundation-stone’ as well as ‘stumblingblock’ in almost one and the same breath?
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Note that biblical images are bipolar and can embrace diametrically opposed meanings. ‘Rock’ is pregnant with many significations. In the ancient world where explosives and drills were unknown, rocks were symbols of solidity and welcome shade in the hostile wilderness. So, while rocks provided safety from harsh weather and wild beasts, they were also destructive when they fell on someone or became an obstacle when one tripped over them in the dark. The image of rock is used exclusively for God in the First Testament, symbolizing solidity, security, shelter and serenity (see 2 Sam 22:2-4; Psalms 18:2; 31:3; 62:2; 78:35; 95:1) for in God the Israelites felt safe and secure. Isaiah mentions the positive dimension of God as “foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation” (Isa 28:16). But, on the negative side, just as rocks become obstacles and hinder smooth passage, so will God obstruct the path of those who do not heed his voice like “a rock that one stumbles over—a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem…
And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken” (Isa 8:14-15). Unknowingly, Peter is doing just this. Jesus then tells his disciples: ““If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (v.24). Jesus’ death predictions are repeated twice more in Matthew’s gospel (17:22-23 and 20:18-19).
Linking the Second Reading and the Psalm to the Theme of Sacrifice:
In the eleven chapters preceding today’s reading, Paul tells the Romans about the graces and blessings that they have received and will continue to receive as Christians. However, being Christian comes with a condition, the cross, and a life of selfless sacrifice. He therefore appeals to his people: “present your living bodies as a holy sacrifice truly pleasing to God!” Our Eucharistic sacrifice becomes meaningful only if accompanied by self-sacrifice. In Aramaic, the word nepes means both ‘self’ and ‘life’. Thus, Jesus and Paul enjoin all Christians to offer up not only their bodies in death, but their whole self in everyday life. Today’s psalm (63), “For you my soul is thirsting O Lord my God,” sounds deeply personal but is understood as echoing the cries of the whole people of God.
Indeed, the Church and world go through life with deep hungers and thirsts. Who else can we go to in times of this Corona crisis?
Three Phases of Discipleship and Presenting Ourselves as a Living Sacrifice
Petrine Phase: Prior to Jesus’ resurrection, Peter is like you and me, who think just like anyone else in the ‘world’. Jesus tells Peter, “The way you think is not God’s way but Man’s.”
Man’s way is self-seeking, God’s way is self-sacrificing; Man seeks to be loved and served, Jesus seeks to love and serve. Worse, Man’s ways are often at cross-purposes with the Cross of Christ. Thus, Man brings doom and death, but the Cross leads to life and liberation.
Jeremiah Phase: Obedient though he is, Jeremiah cannot help complaining to God. He feels free to complain to God in his sorrow, saying: “O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed” … a surrender with much struggle.
Pauline Phase: Paul preaches nothing else but the Cross of Christ. He says, “I determined that while I was with you, I would speak of nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2); and, “We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23). Does my preaching of the Cross of Christ find concrete witness in my walking faithfully along the Via Crucis? Do I present myself as a living sacrifice?