XXII ORDINARY SUNDAY
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo
The prophet Jeremiah lived between 650 and 586 B.C. in Judah, Jerusalem, Babylonia and Egypt. He is called the “Weeping prophet”. Jeremiah’s sole purpose was to reveal the sins of the people and explain the reason for the impending disaster. In his time, different kings – especially: Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah – were idolatrous and the prophet Jeremiah called them to repentance. Jeremiah suffered persecution, was duped and mocked. He was the object of laughter. He was tired and frustrated but he knew his mission was bigger than his strength. His exclamation was: “I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it”.
In the part of the Gospel for today we can hear: “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”. But as usual, the disciples, like most people, want to hear what is good and comfortable. Peter tried to rebuke Jesus but he found Jesus’ answer was to rebuke him: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do”.
Jesus knew as Jeremiah did, his mission would come with suffer and persecution. They did not want that but they accepted it because it was God’s will. Jesus knew through his passion the entire world would be saved. Jesus offered himself to God the Father and only in him we have salvation.
Faith and confidence in Jesus is the way to our salvation. Without Jesus, what else could give us salvation? Jesus asks us: “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”. The big paradox of God’s economy of salvation is: “we lose what we gain, and we gain what we lose” (www.dailyscripture.net). We can have a lot of things in this life, but we should use all our belongings for good and charity, and always keep in mind that they come from God and be thankful to God, knowing all these things are not our end. Only God is the end of our journey in this life and we can get eternal life through Jesus Christ.
For our salvation it’s necessary to carry our cross as Jesus did. Our cross is living daily life with faith: with patience, justice and hope. We constantly have suffering and persecution. We will decide live though all these with Jesus or without Jesus. To suffer without Jesus is masochism and leads us to nothing. Taking up our cross and offering it to Jesus, leads us to salvation. That is the reason Saint Paul tells us: “by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship”.
Like the prophet Jeremiah denounced the sin of all those kingdoms we should review our life and turn back to God’s will. I invite you to hear Saint Paul’s counsel and offer your bodies and minds to God. Take up your cross and follow Jesus, your savior and redeemer. May God give you, and all the faithful, eternal life.