For Your Life
This Sunday’s First Reading catches the prophet Jeremiah in a moment of weakness. His intimate lamentation contains some of the strongest language of doubt found in the Bible. Following God’s call, he feels abandoned. Preaching His Word has brought him only derision.
But God does not deceive—and Jeremiah knows this. He tests the just (see Jeremiah 20:11-12), and disciplines His children through their sufferings and trials (see Hebrews 12:5-7).
What Jeremiah learns, Jesus states explicitly in this week’s Gospel. To follow Him is to take up a cross, to deny yourself—your priorities, preferences, and comforts.
It is to be willing to give it all up, even life itself, for the sake of His gospel. As Paul says in the Epistle, we have to join ourselves to the passion of Christ, to offer our bodies—our whole beings—as living sacrifices to God.
By His cross, Jesus has shown us what Israel’s sacrifices of animals were meant to teach—that we owe to God all that we have.
God’s kindness is a greater good than life itself, as we sing in Sunday’s Psalm. The only thanks we can offer is our spiritual worship—to give our lives to the service of His will (see Hebrews 10:3-11; Psalm 50:14,23).
Peter doesn’t yet get this in the Gospel. As it was for Jeremiah, the cross is a stumbling block for Peter (see 1 Corinthians 1:23). This too is our natural temptation—to refuse to believe that our sufferings play a necessary part in God’s plan.
That’s how people think, Jesus tells us this week. But we are called to the renewal of our minds—to think as God thinks, to will what He wills.
In the Mass, we once again offer ourselves as perfect and pleasing sacrifices of praise (see Hebrews 13:15). We bless Him as we live, confident that we will find our lives in losing them, that with the riches of His banquet, our souls will be satisfied.
St. Caesarius of Arles
Sermon 159 (CCL 104, 650)
Human sin made the road rough but Christ’s resurrection leveled it; by passing over it himself he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top – well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you – do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing.
As well as telling us to renounce ourselves, our Lord and Savior said that we must take up our cross and follow him. What does it mean to take up one’s cross? Bearing every annoyance patiently. That is following Christ. When someone begins to follow his way of life and his commandments, that person will meet resistance on every side. He or she will be opposed, mocked, even persecuted, and this not only by unbelievers but also by people who to all appearances belong to the body of Christ…
If you want to follow Christ, then, take up his cross without delay. Endure injuries, do not be overcome by them… “If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow me.” We must strive with God’s help to do as the Apostle Paul says: “As long as we have food and clothing, let this content us”. Otherwise, if we seek more material goods than we need and desire to become rich, we may «fall prey to temptation.» The devil may trick us into wanting the “many useless and harmful things that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1Tim 6,8-9). May we be free from this temptation through the protection of our Lord.
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus Address, August 31, 2008
Today too, the Apostle Peter, like last Sunday, appears in the foreground of the Gospel. However, whereas last Sunday we admired him for his forthright faith in Jesus, whom he proclaimed the Messiah and Son of God, this time, in the episode that immediately follows, he shows a faith that is still immature and too closely bound to the mentality of “this world” (cf. Rm 12: 2).
Indeed, when Jesus begins to speak openly of the fate that awaits him in Jerusalem, in other words that he will have to suffer many things and be killed in order subsequently to be raised, Peter protests saying: “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Mt 16: 22). It is obvious that the Teacher and the disciple follow two opposite ways of thinking. Peter, in accordance with a human logic, is convinced that God would never permit his Son to end his mission by dying on the Cross.
Jesus, on the contrary, knows that in his immense love for mankind the Father sent him to give his life for them and that if this should involve the Passion and the Cross, it is right that it should happen in this manner. Moreover he knows that the last word will be the Resurrection. Although Peter’s protest was spoken in good faith and for sincere love of the Master, to Jesus it sounds like a temptation, an invitation to save himself, whereas it is only by losing his life that he will receive new and eternal life for us all.
If, to save us, the Son of God had to suffer and die on the Cross, it was certainly not by a cruel design of the heavenly Father. The reason is the gravity of the illness from which he came to heal us: it was such a serious, mortal disease that it required all his Blood.
Indeed, it was with his death and Resurrection that Jesus defeated sin and death and re-established God’s lordship. Yet the battle is not over. Evil exists and resists in every generation, as we know, in our day too. What are the horrors of war, violence to the innocent, the wretchedness and injustice unleashed against the weak other than the opposition of evil to the Kingdom of God? And how is it possible to respond to so much wickedness except with the unarmed and disarming power of love that conquers hatred and of life that has no fear of death? It is the same mysterious power that Jesus used, at the cost of being misunderstood and abandoned by many of his own.
Dear brothers and sisters, in order to bring the work of salvation fully to completion, the Redeemer continues to associate to himself and his mission men and women who are prepared to take up their cross and follow him. Consequently, just as for Christ carrying the cross was not an option but a mission to be embraced for love, so it is for Christians too.
In our world today, where the forces that divide and destroy seem to dominate, Christ does not cease to offer to all his clear invitation: anyone who wants to be my disciple must renounce his own selfishness and carry the cross with me. Let us invoke the help of the Blessed Virgin who followed Jesus first and to the very end on the way of the Cross. May she help us to walk in the Lord’s footsteps with determination, to experience from this moment, even in trial, the glory of the Resurrection.
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus Address, August 28, 2011
In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains to his disciples that he must “go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21). Everything seems to be turned upside down in the heart of the disciples! How is it possible that “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (verse 16), can suffer to the point of death? The Apostle Peter rebels, he does not accept this, so he spoke up and said to the Master: “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (verse 22).
What appears evident is the difference between the loving design of the Father, which goes so far as the gift of his only-begotten Son on the cross to save humanity, and the expectations, the desires, the plans of the disciples. And this discord occurs also today: when the fulfillment of one’s life is directed solely to social success, to physical and economic wellbeing, then one no longer reasons according to God, but according to men (verse 23).
To think according to the world is to put God aside, not to accept his plan of love, almost impeding the fulfillment of his wise will. Because of this, Jesus says something particularly harsh to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me” (ibid.). The Lord shows that “the path of the disciples is to follow him, the Crucified. In all three Gospels, however, he explains this following in the sign of the cross … as the way to ‘lose oneself,’ which is necessary for man and without which it is not possible for him to find himself” (Gesù di Nazaret, Milan 2007, 333 [cf. Jesus of Nazareth, pg. 287]).
As with the disciples, Jesus also addresses the invitation to us. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). A Christian follows Christ when he accepts his cross with love, which in the eyes of the world seems a defeat and a “loss of life” (cf. verses 25-26). But the Christian knows that he does not carry the cross alone but with Jesus, sharing in his way of donation. The Servant of God Paul VI wrote: “In a mysterious way, Christ Himself accepts death … on the cross, in order to eradicate from man’s heart the sins of self-sufficiency and to manifest to the Father a complete filial obedience” (Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete in Domino).
By willingly accepting the cross, Jesus carries the cross of all men and becomes the source of salvation for the whole of humanity. St. Cyril of Alexandria comments: “The victorious cross has illumined him who was blinded by ignorance, has released him who was a prisoner of sin, has brought redemption to the whole of humanity” (Catechesis Illuminandorum XIII, 1: de Christo crucifixo et sepulto: PG 33, 772 B). We entrust our prayer to the Virgin Mary and to St. Augustine, whose memorial is today, so that each one of us will be able to follow the Lord on the way of the cross and allow ourselves to be transformed by divine grace, renewing our way of thinking, so that we “may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
Pope Francis
Angelus on Sunday, August 31, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning,
Sunday’s reading from the Gospel according to Matthew brings us to the critical point at which Jesus, after having ascertained that Peter and the other eleven believed in Him as the Messiah and Son of God, “began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things…, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (16:21). It is a critical moment at which the contrast between Jesus’ way of thinking and that of the disciples emerges. Peter actually feels duty bound to admonish the Master because the Messiah could not come to such an ignominious end. Then Jesus, in turn, severely rebukes Peter and puts him in his place, because he is “not on the side of God, but of men” (v. 23), unintentionally playing the part of Satan, the tempter. In the liturgy for this Sunday the Apostle Paul also stresses this point when he writes to the Christians in Rome, telling them: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2).
Indeed, we Christians live in the world, fully integrated into the social and cultural reality of our time, and rightly so; but this brings with it the risk that we might become “worldly”, that “the salt might lose its taste”, as Jesus would say (cf. Mt 5:13). In other words, the Christian could become “watered down”, losing the charge of newness which comes to him from the Lord and from the Holy Spirit. Instead it should be the opposite: when the power of the Gospel remains alive in Christians, it can transform “criteria of judgment, determining values, points of interest, lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life” (Paul VI Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 19). It is sad to find “watered-down” Christians, who seem like watered-down wine. One cannot tell whether they are Christian or worldly, like watered-down wine; one cannot tell whether it is wine or water! This is sad. It is sad to find Christians who are no longer the salt of the earth, and we know that when salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything. Their salt has lost its taste because they have delivered themselves up to the spirit of the world, that is, they have become worldly.
This is why it is necessary to renew oneself by continually drawing sap from the Gospel. And how can one do this in practice? First of all by actually reading and meditating on the Gospel every day, so the Word of Jesus may always be present in our life. Remember: it will help you to always carry the Gospel with you: a small Gospel, in a pocket, in a bag, and read a passage during the day. But always with the Gospel, because it is carrying the Word of Jesus, and being able to read it. In addition, attending Sunday Mass, where we encounter the Lord in the community, we hear his Word and receive the Eucharist which unites us with Him and to one another; and then days of retreat and spiritual exercises are very important for spiritual renewal. Gospel, Eucharist, Prayer. Do not forget: Gospel, Eucharist, Prayer. Thanks to these gifts of the Lord we are able to conform not to the world but to Christ, and follow him on his path, the path of “losing one’s life” in order to find it (Mt 16:25). “To lose it” in the sense of giving it, offering it through love and in love — and this leads to sacrifice, also the cross — to receive it liberated from selfishness and from the mortgage of death, newly purified, full of eternity.
May the Virgin Mary always go before us on this journey; let us be guided and accompanied by her.
After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
In Italy tomorrow the Day for Safeguarding Creation will be celebrated. The initiative is sponsored by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, and this year’s theme is very important: “Educating to care for Creation, for the health of our countries and our cities”. I hope that it will strengthen the commitment of all, institutions, associations and citizens so that the life and health of people may be safeguarded, while respecting the environment and nature.
I greet all the pilgrims from Italy and various countries, in particular the pilgrims from Santiago de Chile, Chile; Pistoia, San Giovanni Bianco and Albano Sant’Alessandro; the young people from Modena, Bassano del Grappa and Ravenna, Italy; the large group of Police Motorcyclists and the Police Band. It would be nice to hear them play at the end….
I address a special greeting to Catholic members of parliament who are holding their fifth international meeting, and I encourage them to carry out their delicate role as representatives of the people, respecting the values of the Gospel.
Yesterday, I received a large family from Mirabella Imbaccari, who brought the greeting of the whole town. I thank all of you from this town for your affection. I greet the participants of the “Scholas” meeting: continue your work with children and young people in the areas of education, sport and culture; and I wish you a good game tomorrow at the Olympic Stadium!
From here I see the young people who belong to the plastics trade union. Be faithful to your motto: it is very dangerous to journey alone in the fields and in life. Always go together.
I wish you a happy Sunday and I ask you to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
Saint Augustine
Sermon 96
“You are not judging by God’s standards but by man’s.”
When the Lord commits the person wanting to follow him to renounce himself, we think his commandment is difficult and hard to hear. But if the one who commands us also helps us to fulfil it, his commandment is neither difficult nor painful… And that other word the Lord spoke is also true: “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Mt 11:30) For love sweetens what might be painful in the precepts. We all know what marvels love can accomplish… What rigors have people endured, what unworthy and intolerable living conditions have they borne so as to be able to possess the object of their love! …Why be surprised that someone who loves Christ and wants to follow him renounces himself in order to love him? For if the a person loses himself by loving himself, there is no doubt that he will find himself by renouncing himself…
Who would refuse to follow Christ to the dwelling place of perfect happiness, of supreme peace and of eternal tranquility? It is good to follow him there. But we have to know the way in order to arrive… The path seems to you to be covered with rough patches, it puts you off, you don’t want to follow Christ. Walk behind him! The path, which we have laid is rugged but it was made level when Christ walked upon it as he returned to heaven. So who would refuse to go forward towards glory?
Everyone likes to rise up in glory, but humility is the ladder that must be climbed in order to get there. Why do you lift up your foot higher than yourself? Do you want to fall down instead of go up? Begin with this ladder. It will make you go up already. The two disciples who said: “Lord, see to it that we sit, one at your right and the other at your left, when you come into your glory,” paid no attention to this degree of humility. They aimed for the summit and did not see the ladder. But the Lord showed them the ladder. So what did he answer? “Can you drink the cup I shall drink? (Mk 10:38) You who desire to reach the height of honors, can you drink the chalice of humility?” That is why he did not limit himself to saying in a general way: “May he renounce himself and follow me”, but rather, he added: “May he take up his cross and follow me.”
Blessed Guerric of Igny
4th Sermon for Epiphany
Recognizing Christ in his humility and going down together with him
“My soul is disturbed, O God, mindful of its sins; therefore I will be mindful of you from the land of Jordan” (Ps 41[42]:7)—mindful, that is, of how you cleansed Naaman, the leper, in his humble descent. ”He went down,” Scripture says, “and washed seven times in the Jordan according to the bidding of the man of God, and he was cleansed” (2Kgs 5:14). You also, go down, O my soul, from the chariot of pride into the health-giving waters of the Jordan, which from its source in the house of David now flows through the whole world “to purify from sin and uncleanness” (Zac 13:1). This to be sure is the humility of repentance, which flowing at once from Christ’s gift and from his example, is now preached throughout the world and purifies the sins of all mankind… But our Jordan flows pure and the proud will not be able to hurt you if you submerge yourself wholly in it and are, as it were, buried together with Christ’s humility…
This humility truly re-baptizes us with no infringement of the sole baptism, for it does not repeat Christ’s death but renews the mortification and burial of sins and carries out in very truth what is represented in outward form by that baptism. This humility opens the heavens, restores the spirit of adoption. The Father recognizes his son, fashioned anew in the innocence and purity of a regenerate child. Hence Scripture does well to say of Naaman that his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child… Behold, brethren, we who have lost the grace of our first baptism… behold the true Jordan, that is the descent of the humble, in which we find that we may be devoutly re-baptized. All that is required is that we should not be reluctant to go down day by day more deeply… with Christ.
