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Sunday, September 3, 2023

A Homily - The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Jeremiah 20:7-9 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 62(63):2-6, 8-9 ©

Second Reading – Romans 12:1-2 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18

The Gospel According to Matthew 16:21 - 27 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 Do not ask God, the creator of the universe, to adjudicate on your behalf or to administer the justice you desire. God’s justice is loving and kind, divine justice works toward the benefit of all creatures; rather, find it in your heart to administer the justice that God desires.

 Consider the words of the psalmist:

 It is right to thank God, for the good things that come our way; it is right because it is good to be thankful. We do not thank God for those good things out of a belief that God delivered them to us or put them in our path. God does not intervene in our affairs, not even a little bit. By the same token we do not blame God for the hardships we suffer in this life, God did not beset us with them.

 While all of us plan for good things to happen to us, and work toward those ends, and credit should be given where credit is due, especially where credit is due to chance; few of us plan for bad things to happen to us, and yet bad things happen nevertheless, mostly as a result of poor decision making, with the remainder belonging to the vicissitudes of luck and fickle fortune.

 We do not experience the bad, we do not suffer sin and evil as just retribution for anything we have done or wished that we could do. Divine justice does not work this way; God’s justice is patient, it is merciful and it is compassionate, it finds its resolution in eternity.

 The good and the bad come to us irrespective of who we are, regardless of what we do or what we have done, without regard to who we have been or who we might become. There is no plan to it; God is no respecter of persons, and God does not love anyone of God’s children more than God loves any other…more or less than God loves you.

 Praise God and give thanks for the good things, do not dwell on the bad.

 Be mindful!

 There is peace to be had in the exercise of patience, in contemplation, meditation and prayer.

 Make of your life a prayer, a prayer for grace, for the grace which comes from God, for rest in the divine.

 Let the peace of God within you bubble up like a fountain, let it flow over with abundance, let others quench their thirst and be nourished by the wellspring of your soul, for it is the wellspring of theirs, as you are united in God.

 Consider the words of the apostle:

 The essence of faith is trust in God, it is the belief that God loves you, that God knows you and that God has a plan for you beyond this world. Faith is trust in this belief, a thing we cannot see, but that we hope is true, we hope that it is true for you, for ourselves, and true for every one of God’s children.

 Trust God, and allow your hope in those beliefs to transform you now, to transform you here and now, in this world; live as God desires you to live: justly, mercifully and lovingly.

 Remember the life of Jesus, and God whom he called father!

 Is God glorious?

 Yes, it is fair to say so; though if it be rightly told, you will know that God is not concerned with glories.

 God is the creator of the universe and everything in it, but God’s most exalted place is with us, in relationship to us; we are God’s children, and God greatest glory is the glory felt by a loving parent.

 Know this!

 There is hope in the knowledge of God; remember, that the hopes you have for yourself and those you love are meant to be extended to everyone; even those you do not love, extend the scope of your hope to all people, that is the way in which God leads us.

 Be mindful!

 If you should fall into the error of thinking that God has promised riches and glories the saints, remember the words of Jesus: the first will be last and the last will be first, and that true riches are not counted in gold and silver and precious things.

 Consider the gospel reading for today, the most salient point we can take from this reading does not concern the prophecy of Jesus regarding his death in Jerusalem, or the resurrection that followed,

 That prophecy is merely an exercise in propaganda foisted on us by the early church.

 The most salient reading from the gospel for today is not the suggestion that those who follow Jesus must suffer and die for their faith as Jesus did, a calling to endure that kind of suffering is situational and particular, not universal; that is not what all Christians are called to.

 The most salient reading from today is not the notion that there is a divine quid pro quo, that life is restored to those who sacrifice it; the economy of salvation is not a system of barter and trade.

 The most salient reading is not the notion that there is a reward waiting for us at the end of days, a reward meted out according to measurable behaviors that are quantifiable as either good or bad.

 It is important to note that the disciples, with Peter as chief among them, did not understand the mission of Jesus; while he was alive and with them the disciples rejected his mission and actively worked against it, even scolding Jesus for his intention to follow the mission he had accepted, because it placed his life at risk.

 Jesus went so far as to name Peter the enemy, calling him Satan; and shortly thereafter Peter would publicly deny Jesus and deny having any association with him. Peter denied him even in the hour of his greatest need.

 Take this away from the reading for today:

 Peter and the disciples lived with Jesus, they were closer to him than anyone, they ate with him, prayed with him, walked with him, slept next to him, and even they were confused about his mission.

 If you find yourself confused about the way, do not worry, you are in good company

 

First Reading – Jeremiah 20:7-9 ©

The Word of the Lord has Meant Insult for Me

You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger.

I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody’s butt.

Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’

The word of the Lord has meant for me insult, derision, all day long.

I used to say, ‘I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name any more.’

Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones.

The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could not bear it.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 62(63):2-6, 8-9 ©

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;

  for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you

  like a dry, weary land without water.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

  to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,

  my lips will speak your praise.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

So I will bless you all my life,

  in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,

  my mouth shall praise you with joy.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

For you have been my help;

  in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

My soul clings to you;

  your right hand holds me fast.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

 

Second Reading – Romans 12:1-2 ©

Offer Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice

Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 16:21 - 27 ©

'Get Behind Me, Satan!'

Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

  ‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’

 

The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)




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