22nd Sunday Year A - Homily 5

Homily 5 - 2020

Jesus could read the writing on the wall. The disciples could not. John the Baptist had met his death as the price of his stance for Truth. A similar fate was inevitable for Jesus — in his case, as the price of living, prioritising and preaching a non-negotiable call to relentlessly consistent Love. The Baptist was beheaded by the secular power. The leaders of the religious establishment — the elders, the chief priests and the scribes — would ensure Jesus’ death.

Peter was astounded and challenged Jesus, who, in no uncertain way, without mincing words, quickly put Peter back in his box.

Jesus than proceeded to challenge all the disciples to be prepared to meet not just the suffering inevitably encountered by everyone in a largely self-interested and violent world, but particularly those arising from consistently following Jesus in his life of insistent responsible love. The very definition of christian discipleship would assume, like it or not, similarly “taking up our cross and following” the crucified Jesus.

Yet discipleship is not for masochists. Following Jesus does not mean embracing suffering for suffering’s sake. Opening out to love means opening out to life. Discipleship is for those who love life — and are prepared to pay the price of coming ever more alive. Jesus paradoxically put it this way: “Those who lose their life for my sake will find life”.

Just as discipleship is not for masochists, neither is it for stoics. Discipleship is for relationship, for friendship, for personal friendship now with Jesus, and in eternity, for that same friendship ecstatically realised and fulfilled. “When the Son of Man comes in the glory of his Father …, he will reward each one according to their behaviour.”

What about those who hold back from paying the price of love? Jesus who preached forgiveness was never himself slow to forgive. But a life lived without much love is only a half-life — and Jesus dearly wants us to live life richly now, on this side of death, not just in eternity.