22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 30/08/2020

Today, Peter like last Sunday appears in the front ground of the Gospel. Whereas we admired him last Sunday because of his deep faith in Jesus that proclaimed him as the Messiah and Son of God, this Sunday, he shows immature faith and that is too closely fixed to the wordily mentality. So, what is going on in today’s Gospel? The teacher and the disciple have opposite ways of thinking. Peter is thinking following the human logic while Jesus is thinking of love that gives it all, and he must suffer and die to give life to all, but he will resurrect.

As Jesus’ followers, let us overcome the temptation of being wordily fixed to our human desires that come as delusion but try in every minute of our Christian life to do the will of God which might most likely be revealed in the most difficult and challenging times and events in our lives. An example of our challenging event is the virus pandemic, and our call to be in solidarity with one another. The endless selfishness manifested in the form of corruption: graft, embezzlement, and politics. This cross is heavy, painful, and needless. It has generated poor health plan, nepotism, marginalization of many, immaturity in Christian discipleship and witness.

Whenever we professed our faith in Jesus Christ but lived differently, we acted immaturely with our faith and humanly opposite to God’s will, and so making the cross of others heavier. Paul encourages us to be pleasing to God, by offering ourselves as living sacrifice. Offering ourselves as living sacrifices is what God wills and loves. It is giving ourselves for others and not being selfish. It is making others’ cross light and beareable. Like Jeremiah in the first reading today, this must be our overwhelming call.

Christian Action this week: Find time to pray and evaluate your Christian journey of discipleship: Find out when your faith has been courageous, deep, or weakened by temptations. See what your courageous faith helped you to achieve and be grateful. Where your faith wasn’t kind and generous, ask for peace and strength. And where your faith was blind ask for forgiveness. Take the cross!

Joy and peace.