22nd Sunday of the Year (A)

(Edited) Sunday reflections: (From) years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

August 31, 2014
Liturgical readings
Jeremiah 20:7-9
Psalm 63
Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 16:21-27

"He must deny self, take up his cross, and follow Christ."

Mortification is a term we often hear during the Lenten season. But it's an important element of Christian life, and must be considered even outside of Lent. Its meaning is rooted in Christ's self-sacrifice for all the faithful on the Cross. Mortification need not be external, or something done out of obligation. Rather, it can signify one's desire to purify the heart, and make it more pleasing to the Lord. It can be more time for prayer or more acts of renunciation: like efforts to be kind at work (even if one feels lazy); giving up something as an act of charity; or simply behaving well behind the wheel - despite others' misbehavior and bad conduct on the road.

In this Sunday's gospel, Peter did not yet see the full meaning of following his Master. When the Lord said He would suffer, Peter did not accept it. Yes, he confessed Jesus as the Son of the living God. But, the suffering Christ he could not accept in his understanding of his Master's mission. Of this gospel passage, author Bishop Fulton Sheen writes: Peter "would have a half Christ" - the Divine Christ, but not the suffering, Redeeming Christ. What Jesus therefore called in Peter as "the Rock", had now become a "stumbling stone" for His obedience to His Father. It would not have led to this, had not Peter guarded his heart from Satan's intrusion.

Monastic spirituality also has much to teach today's world about the virtue of mortification and self-denial. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 A.D.), whose feast was celebrated last August 20, teaches that there are two enemies of the soul: a misguided love for the world, and an excessive love of self - two realities modern culture does not notice in its ways of work and life. But if the faithful today were to take time to pray and reflect, and notice this direction in specific areas of life and work, it can be resisted. The Lord gave the Church the corrective: to "deny self, take up the cross, and follow Jesus". God gives all life and work as a gift. It is a also a responsibility that has to be worked on with Christ's self-sacrificing example.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
"What profit would a man show if he were to gain the whole world and ruin himself in the process? The Son of Man will come with his Father's glory accompanied by his angels. When he does, he will repay each man according to his conduct." (Matthew 16)