Gospel for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
A Life Given Out of Love
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 16, 21-27)
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct."
Father Gabriele Dipaola’s Commentary
This Gospel page picks up right where we left off last Sunday, with Peter’s profession of faith, where he recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Right after this great profession of faith, Jesus grants Peter a unique role: he will lead the Church, coordinating and strengthening the faith of all believers in Christ Jesus. But immediately after, Jesus says something that completely shocks Peter. In that moment, Peter isn't thinking with God’s logic, but with the world's logic.
What did people expect the Messiah to be? They expected a king—a powerful man who, through his armies and political power, would crush everyone else and bring everything under his rule.
But now, Jesus clearly states that He won't be that kind of Messiah. He isn't going to conquer the world with an army or through brute force; He will conquer the world through the power of the Cross. This statement completely blindsides Peter and the disciples. To them, it was unthinkable that God made man would have to die—and die brutally on a cross, no less. It made Him look like a failed king: a king who, instead of putting everyone under his feet, gets crushed under the feet of his enemies.
Yet, this is exactly the mindset Jesus wants to instill in His disciples: that being a king, being the Messiah, being the Son of God, means giving one's entire life as a ransom for many. He is a king who gives everything out of love for others, a king who gives Himself to the point of laying down His life.
This is God’s logic, and it is very different from Peter’s logic—and from ours. We are used to the logic of power, because a king is supposed to rule, command, direct, and appoint. Jesus, however, is a king who only wants to love, and that is the logic of the Cross. The disciples don't get it at first. But on this journey from Galilee to Judea, Jesus teaches them what it truly means to follow Him. And following Jesus means following Him on the way of the Cross. There is no other way. If you don't follow Jesus to the cross, you cannot be His disciple. In fact, Jesus asks what good it does to gain the whole world if you lose your soul. Following Jesus means taking up your cross—which isn't about seeking pain, but about taking responsibility for your life, even when it gets tough.
Loving, forgiving, and leading others to salvation brings challenges and suffering. Taking up the cross means embracing all of this for the salvation of many, because Jesus came to save everyone.So, what can we learn from this passage? To let go of the logic of power, to let go of the need to be in control, and to welcome the logic of a life given away out of love.
Praise be to Jesus Christ.