My friends, the Scripture readings for today are, it seems to me, all geared toward each of us, as “Godly” people and as followers of our brother Jesus, to be “engaged” and even, “on fire” with a message for life that is bigger than ourselves. 

   Jeremiah says of it, “God’s message within is “like a fire burning in my heart.”  The psalmist in section, 63 today adds a piece to Jeremiah’s lament that seems to add an additional thought: “My soul thirsts for you, O God.”  Even though Jeremiah, on the one hand wants to speak the words that God has planted in his heart, doing so has caused the people to turn against him, which is hard for any one of us, as we all want to be accepted, even loved.  But in the end, even though it was hard, Jeremiah found that he could not help but speak. 

   During the month of August just passed, we were called to remember a woman from Nazareth by the name of Mary, who was called by God to give the world a wonderful gift. She, like Jeremiah, no doubt feared that she might not be believed, accepted, and loved, by her family, and friends. Yet, like Jeremiah, there seemed to be nothing her heart would allow her to do but say, “yes.”  It was like that for me saying “yes” to ordination—it was never should I do this? —it was always, “yes!”

   Each of us is, likewise, called in our world through our commitment to our brother Jesus to say our “yes” to often times being counter-culture so as to make life better for all.  Most, if not all of us can consider ourselves “blessed” with much good in our lives—while everything may not be perfect, or the way that we might want, we do have homes, food, and to spare, and those who care about, and even love us. 

   Paul, in his letter to the Romans today, instructs us [to] “not conform [our] selves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of [our] minds, so that [we] may judge what is God’s will, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

   Our pope was able to answer Paul’s instruction recently in his weekly address, saying, “some backward conservatives in the U.S. Catholic church have replaced faith with ideology.”  He makes it clear that, “a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.” 

   The article goes on to say that “conservatives have blasted Francis’ emphasis instead on social justice issues such as the environment, and the poor, while also branding as heretical his opening to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive the sacraments.”  Clearly the words of Scripture that, “The Spirit is continually renewing the face of the earth,” have been missed by this group in our Church.  And even deeper, and more expansively, I have to wonder, what part of Jesus’ message didn’t this group get?  And granted, if we are going to follow truly in Jesus’ footsteps, it will mean some hardships for us too.

   In today’s gospel from Matthew, we see the apostles struggling with the reality of Jesus’ message: it will mean suffering and death for their friend and teacher, and their human response through Peter, is, “No!” –this isn’t what we expected!”  And again, Jesus reminds them and us, “You are not setting your minds on the things of God, but of people.”  And further on, he clarifies, “if you would lose yourself for my sake, you will find [your life—as it really is].

   We humans, probably by nature, will often seek out the easier, more understandable to ourselves, answer, and that is why, even Church fathers come up with the notion that God sent Jesus to die for our sins, rather than, “to simply show us the way home,” in Richard Rohr’s words, through the self-giving of his life, death, and resurrection. 

   Another Franciscan, Sister Ilia Delio says it like this, “to accept the death of Jesus as necessary to save us from our sins is to have missed the point.”  She goes on, “Jesus’ death was all about him taking on the worst humanity could offer in order that we, his sisters and brothers could then recognize him in the sufferings of others.”

   My friends, unfortunately, doing what is “most loving” in any situation is not going to be the “easiest” action, but it will always be the “right” one. 

   It was always in God’s plan that we would be about loving each other—always!  Our prayer today should be that we will each have the strength and grace to do what is the most loving thing even when we perhaps may have to stand alone.  Our God, through Jesus and through each of us wants to love our world and its people—pray that we don’t let ourselves get in the way. Amen? Amen!