Homily 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A I Homily 30 August 2026 Year A

 

30 Aug 2026 Jeremiah 20:7-9 ; Romans 12:1-2 ; Matthew 16:21-27

 

 

My dear friends, all of us experience struggles, disappointments and moments when we feel like giving up. Today, on the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time year A, God invites us to see these crosses not as the end of our journey, but as opportunities to grow in faith, courage and love.

Jeremiah lived during a very difficult period in Judah’s history, when Babylon was becoming a powerful threat and Jerusalem was facing a political and religious crisis. Jeremiah had been called by God to warn the people about their unfaithfulness and the coming destruction. Because his message was unpopular, he was mocked, beaten and even put in the stocks. In today’s passage, Jeremiah speaks his heart out to God.  He feels deceived, rejected and tired. He even thinks of giving up his prophetic ministry. But then he says that God’s word is “like a fire shut up in my bones.” He cannot keep it inside. The call of God is stronger than his discouragement. There is something strangely comforting in this passage. Faith does not mean that we never become tired, angry or discouraged. Jeremiah teaches us that we can bring even our frustration and disappointment directly to God. His complaint itself becomes a prayer. And when he is tempted to remain silent, God’s word continues to burn within him. We too may sometimes feel like giving up—especially when our efforts seem unnoticed or rejected. At such moments, we can ask: What is the “fire” God has placed within me? May we remain faithful to our calling, trusting that God is with us even when the journey is difficult.

In the second reading taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, St Paul urges believers to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” to God. Unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament, this is not about animals being offered on an altar. It is about offering our whole lives—our work, relationships, choices, struggles and desires—to God. Paul then says, “Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Christian discipleship means resisting the pressure to simply follow what society considers successful, comfortable or important. Instead, we allow God to change the way we think and see the world. This passage invites us to ask: What am I offering to God today? Sometimes we give God our prayers but keep our decisions, ambitions and relationships for ourselves. Paul reminds us that true worship involves the whole person. To be transformed does not mean becoming someone else. It means allowing God to bring out the person He created us to be. When our minds and hearts are renewed by God, we gradually discover His will and learn to live with greater freedom, love and purpose.

Can you learn to ride a bicycle without falling and bruising your knees and elbows? It is not at all possible. The fall is not a failure; it is part of the learning process. Without falling, the child may never learn to balance, gain confidence and ride independently. In a similar way, some of the difficulties and sufferings we experience in life can teach us, strengthen us and make us more sensitive to the suffering of others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and rise again. Peter cannot accept this. He has recognised Jesus as the Messiah, but he has a different idea of what the Messiah should be. For Peter, the Messiah should be powerful and victorious. He cannot imagine a Messiah who suffers. Jesus therefore tells him: “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Peter isn't necessarily a bad person. In fact, Peter loves Jesus. His mistake is that he cannot imagine that God's plan could include suffering. Sometimes our prayer is not really, ‘Lord, show me your will.’ It is, ‘Lord, bless the plan I have already made. We often think that if God loves us, our lives should be free from suffering. But Jesus shows us that suffering can sometimes be part of the journey of love, faithfulness and growth. Jesus does not seek suffering for its own sake. Rather, he accepts the cross because he chooses to remain faithful to the Father and to his mission.

We can picture Jesus embracing the cross. The cross represents everything he refuses to run away from: love, sacrifice, rejection and obedience. Jesus invites us to do the same: “Take up your cross and follow me.” This does not mean that we should deliberately look for suffering. It means that when difficulties come because we are doing what is right, we should not immediately run away. Sometimes suffering matures us. The sudden death of someone in a family can make a young person see life differently. A failure can teach humility. Caring for a sick parent can deepen compassion. Standing up for someone who is treated unjustly can involve sacrifice.

There can even be joy in suffering when we suffer for the right reasons. Social activists, missionaries and people who defend the poor often sacrifice comfort and security because they have discovered a deeper meaning to life. Fr. Stan Swamy, SJ, is one example of someone who spent his life standing with vulnerable and marginalised people, even when it cost him greatly. His life reminds us that a meaningful life is not necessarily a comfortable life. Jesus then asks a challenging question: “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” Imagine getting everything you want—money, a good career, a beautiful house, recognition, thousands of followers on social media—and yet losing your peace, your relationships, your integrity and your relationship with God. Have you really gained the world? Jesus asks us to look deeper: Find a different meaning of the word ‘life’.. Not everything that looks attractive or successful necessarily leads us closer to God. This is the heart of Ignatian discernment: not simply asking, ‘What do I want?’ but asking, ‘Where is God leading me?’”

The child who falls from the bicycle does not stay on the ground. He gets up, wipes the blood from his knee and tries again. Perhaps that is what Jesus is asking of us today. You may have fallen. You may be carrying a cross. You may be tired like Jeremiah. You may not understand God's plan like Peter. But don't give up. Get up and continue. Because the Christian story does not end with the cross. It ends with resurrection. May God bless us all.