22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time [A]

 


22ND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] 


It’s sinking in for the prophet Jeremiah: suffering and spirituality go hand-in-hand. He’s not necessarily happy or enthusiastic about the idea. But he’s adjusting (see Jeremiah 20:7-10). As for Simon Peter, he’s not there yet. If Jerusalem means trouble for us, then we should stay away from that location (see Matt. 16:22). Note how Jesus responds: he compares Peter with Satan (vs. 23). Why? What do they have in common with one another? 


Recall what happens earlier on in Matthew’s Gospel. Who is that out in the desert, roughing it? That would be Jesus. He proceeds into the desert voluntarily, so that he can subject himself to a pattern of penance and discipline. Who is that visiting Jesus? It’s the devil. Satan appeals to Jesus’s sense of hunger. Why go on, being hungry? Turn this stone into a loaf of bread (Matt. 4:3). In other words, you shouldn’t be following the path of suffering. That’s for people like John the Baptist. You belong on the easy path, not the hard path!! Jesus, however, remains committed to the path of hardship. 


A similar tone will be adopted by John F. Kennedy, in the year 1962. Speaking at Rice University, he announces that we will be launching a mission to the moon. Why would we want to undertake such a task? It certainly doesn’t sound like it will be easy. And to Kennedy’s way of thinking, that’s the point: we’re doing this, not because it’s going to be easy, but because…IT’S GOING TO BE HARD!! Seven years later, we will answer the challenge: we will successfully land on the moon. It could be described as one of the most glorious days in our nation’s history (Apollo Eleven, July 20th, 1969). 


That glorious outcome would never have materialized if the easy path had been our path of choice. This explains why the devil wants you to avoid the hard path. The devil doesn’t want you to have an experience of glory. It’s hard getting up in the morning and heading to church. That’s why you should stay in bed!! It’s hard setting aside time for prayer and for scripture reflection. That’s why you should dedicate yourself to leisure. It’s hard tithing. It’s hard loving your enemy. It’s hard sacrificing your tunic and your cloak (see Matt. 5:38-47). It’s hard living a counter- cultural way of life (as St. Paul prescribes in Romans 12:2). Choose the easy option. The easy path is the path for you. 


Obviously, the devil wants you to miss out. He wants you to miss out on the glory. He doesn’t want you to aim high. Don’t bother with the moon. And by all means, don’t bother with the Kingdom of Heaven!!! In the desert, Jesus wards off the devil by relying upon the Sacred Word (Matt. 4:4-10). Here in chapter sixteen, it is all about putting that contrary voice behind you (16:23). It’s impeding your progress. So when you hear that voice sounding off, it’s best to simply do what Jesus does. Perhaps you remember the wristbands, displaying the acronym WWJD. It stands for “What Would Jesus Do?”  We know what he would do. He would waste no time putting that voice behind him—well behind him. 

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