Homily for the Week of August 28, 2011

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time August 28, 2011

Jeremiah 20,7-9

Psalm 62,2.3-4.5-6.8-9

Romans 12,1-2

Matthew 16,21-27

Flags have had an important part in the history of our Country. In the early days of country a popular flag was known as the Gadsden flag. It is a historical American flag with in yellow depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the snake is the legend "DON'T TREAD ON ME." The flag was designed by and is named after American general and statesman Christopher Gadsden. It was the first flag ever carried into battle by the Marine Corps during the American Revolution.

This flag is the message common by many people today: “Don’t tread on me.” We don’t want to hear about responsibility, accountability and discipline. At least we do not want to hear those words spoken about us. Every bad thing is someone else’s fault, and it is always up to someone else to fix our problems. We want our government to cut spending as long as cutbacks don’t affect me and my family.

But St. Paul tells us today, “Do not conform yourselves to this age.” Unfortunately too many of us do, and the Gospel then becomes an obstacle to our happiness rather than the path to happiness. In the Gospel from which I just read Peter had genuine concern for Jesus. He surely did not want his Teacher to die. Peter’s concern was understandable and reasonable.

But Jesus condemns Peter. He tries to explain to Peter that what is required for being a follower of Jesus may not seem reasonable and it may go against our common sense. When Jesus said to Peter, “You are an obstacle to me,” the word for obstacle is the same word as the word “scandal.”

Scandal means that we cause someone else to do something wrong just by others seeing what we are doing. Amazingly, we do not have to do something wrong to create a scandal. Doing nothing or taking the easy way is scandalous too. Things we do, say or wear can be scandalous. Scandal can also be something that we do not to that we should be doing. Scandal is especially wrong when when it is done by those who are supposed to teach and lead others. But as you may know, that is not always easy.

Our first reading today is a section from Jeremiah. It is one of the most moving passages of the Old Testament. But as any biblical text it must be placed in its context to be understood. The passage quoted expresses in vivid detail how difficult it can be to follow God. God had ask Jeremiah to be one of his representatives; that is, a person chosen to speak for God. Jeremiah feels that God "duped" him. Jeremiah does speak for God, but when he does, he gets insulted.Everyone laughs at me, he says. But inspite of that, Jeremiah still keeps on living as God wants him because it becomes like fire burning in my heart.

Isn't this a powerful description of how we suffer when we obey our conscience. Our conscience is the voice of God within each of us who keeps telling us: you are being good or you are being bad. No matter what we try to do to deny or stifle that voice, it is always there. Jeremiah in our first reading would have loved an easier time being a representative of God. Jeremiah, however, loved God, and he could not escape the duty that comes with loving God. It is tough being Jeremiah and doing the hard things, but if more of us did, imagine how much better the world could be.

The readings of today's Mass all give the same message. They tell us that our blessings in life may also involve crosses. But our life must not be a cross for others. That would be an example of scandal. We may decide for whatever reason to go against God. If and when we do the price we pay is not being true to our deepest self. God and Jesus are to be trusted absolutely. God will stand at our side. In worshipping God we should be ever mindful of these basic truths and offer ourselves to God in trust.

Today’s gospel challenges us to say no to the very attractive but one-sided gospel of instant glory, a sugar-coated gospel that offers the false promise of no crosses. Often we followers of Jesus may think: “Only believe and it will all go well with you.” It didn’t all go well for Jesus; he still had to endure the cross. It didn’t all go well with Mary; a sword of sorrow still pierced her soul. It didn’t all go well with the countless men and women saints who have gone before us.

Each day we are tempted to abandon God and do things that our consciences says we should not do. It is so easy for us to pick and chose parts of the bible or our Catholic faith, and accept those parts and practices that make our religion painless. It is so easy to yield to peer pressure, which is one of the most powerful social forces in the world. It is so easy to stifle the voice of our conscience when we see other people apparently stifling theirs. But that is not what today's readings urge us to do. For Jeremiah, for Paul, and for Matthew, God calls us to a difficult vocation. Unless we constantly remind ourselves of this we will fail to be the kind of disciples that Christ expects us to be.

If we pick up our cross and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our cross can also become a blessing and a stepping stone to greater things.