XXII Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

09 03 2023

Fr. Fernando Cortez

Jesus teaches his disciples about his passion and death in today’s Gospel. It is not well received. Often, they ignore this hard message, pretend not to understand it. Like Isaiah, Jesus is upset. His efforts seem useless.

Usually, Jesus reserves most of his anger and reproach for the scribes and the Pharisees. On this occasion, Jesus is confronted with Peter’s rebuke. He may be hurt and angry. Though, he may not be surprised. As much as they love the secret that he is the Messiah, they cannot or will not accept his destiny: to suffer and die for them. Jesus’ answer is strong and painful to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You think like men not like God does”.

To all the disciples he teaches the same pain and sorrow that the prophet Isaiah suffers for bearing and proclaiming the truth of God. As disciples, we may have to suffer the same pain and sorrows from the world around us. We must not be an obstacle to Jesus. He seeks to reach out to the world through us even today. It is a choice we have to make every day. If we struggle against God, we waste God’s graces and our lives. God is stronger than any human effort against him.

The psalm teaches to see this calling as a hunger and thirst to serve and please God. We put our trust and faith in his love and protection. Belonging to God, belonging to Jesus should be a like a song in our hearts that consoles and encourages.

Paul and Jesus ask us to put away the World and embrace the mercies of God. There may crosses to bear in this life, but these are spiritual sacrifices we offer to God in praise. How can we want to for anything more? The world is an attractive or those who dedicate themselves to it. But, our lives with God matter more than gain, wealth or fame.

Our lives can be an example and inspiration for others. We are not alone in this effort to share Jesus with other. Jesus us is with us, the Holy Spirit joins to other Christians, the Holy Church and the common mission of other disciples of Jesus. The message may not always be well received, but our dedication gives praise to God and honors us before God.

Jesus promises to return with the angels to repay our conduct in the world. If we are anxious for God like the prophet Isaiah, gentle and fervent like Saint Paul toward the Romans, and filled with the grace and power of Jesus, nothing can deter us from the love of God.

(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)

常年期(甲年)第二十二主日講道 (09/03/2023 )
法神父主日證道中譯本

讀經一: 耶肋米亞先知書 20:7-9
讀經二: 保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 12:1-2
福音: 瑪竇福音 16:21-27

耶穌在今天的福音中教導他的門徒有關他的受難和死亡。這並不被好好接受。通常，他們忽視這個艱難的訊息，假裝不理解。就如依撒意亞一樣，耶穌感到不快。祂的努力似乎是徒勞的。

通常情況下，耶穌大部分的憤怒和責難是指向經師和法利塞人的。在這個場合，耶穌面臨了伯多祿的責難。他可能感到受傷和憤怒。然而，祂可能不感到驚訝。盡管他們熱愛祂是默西亞這秘密，但他們不能或不願意接受祂的命運：為他們受苦並為他們而死。耶穌的回答對伯多祿來說是嚴重的，也是痛苦的：撒殫，退我後邊去！你是絆我腳的，因為你所體察的，不是天主的事，而是人的事。

對所有的門徒，祂都教導了以依撒意亞先知因承擔和宣講天主的真理而受的痛苦和悲哀。作為門徒，我們可能也必須忍受來自我們周圍世界的同樣痛苦和悲哀。我們不能成為阻礙耶穌的障礙。即使今天，祂仍然希望透過我們去接觸世界。這是我們每天都要做的選擇。如果我們反對天主，我們就浪費了天主的恩寵和我們的生命。天主比任何人類的努力都更有力量。

聖詠教導我們將這個呼召視為一種渴望侍奉和取悅天主的渴望。我們把信任和信仰寄託在他的愛和保護之中。屬於天主和屬於耶穌，應該像我們心中的一首歌，它能夠安慰和鼓勵我們。保祿和耶穌要求我們擺脫世界，擁抱天主的憐憫。在此一生可能會有十字架要扛，但這些都是我們以讚美天主的形式獻給他的屬靈犧牲。我們還能再要求什麼呢？對那些致力於世俗事物的人來說，世界具有吸引力。但是，我們與天主的生活比財富、名利更重要。

我們的生活可以成為別人的榜樣和靈感。在分享耶穌給別人的努力中，我們並不孤單。耶穌與我們同在，聖神與其他基督徒同在，聖教會也與其他耶穌的門徒同在這個共同的使命中。訊息可能並不總是受到好的回應，但我們的奉獻是對天主的讚美，也是在天主面前的榮譽。

耶穌承諾將與天使一起回來，來回報我們在世界上的行為。如果我們像依撒意亞先知一樣為天主焦慮，像聖保祿對待羅馬人一樣溫和和熱誠，並且充滿了耶穌的恩寵和力量，那麼什麼都不能阻擋我們去愛天主。