Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 30, 2020 - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Jer 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Matt 16:21-27]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." [Matthew]
This dialog takes place immediately after Peter has been made the "rock" on which Jesus would build his Church!! The rock becomes a "stumbling block!" His vision and that of all the disciples was too narrow. They could not see the bigger picture that the evangelist, writing forty or so years later, was able to present. As one of my beloved and eccentric philosophy professors used to say, "It's hard to get the big picture when you're living inside the frame." That bigger picture is that Jesus' suffering and death would be part of his mission, and that it would be part of any disciple's mission. Jesus goes on to say, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." This is what Jesus meant when he says to Peter, "You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
The first scripture for today, from Jeremiah, could be the words of a disciple bemoaning the difficulties of being a disciple: [T]he word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself, I will not mention him, 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."
The beginning of a new academic year on all levels from K to grad school in a time of pandemic presents challenges to discipleship that are considerable. Teachers and students alike face unprecedented difficulties in the pursuit of an education. Outside the educational environment, the loss of jobs, the COVID-19 illness itself, violence resulting from questions of racism in our national culture, destruction from major tropical storms - all of these test our commitment to following Jesus and proclaiming his gospel. The cross and resurrection go together in this picture. If we try simply to "follow" Jesus without those, we are "thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Our vision has to grow outside the frame! AMEN
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