- 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Jeremiah 20:7–9; Psalm 63:2–9; Romans 12:1–2; Matthew 16:21–27
Today’s readings reveal the transforming power of God when we allow Him to take possession of our lives. Jeremiah discovers that he cannot remain indifferent to the Word he has received: even when he tries to resist it, it becomes “a fire burning in my heart,” transforming him from within and compelling him to continue his mission. The Psalm expresses the same inner attraction as thirst: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” God does not simply ask something from us; He awakens within us a desire for Himself. Saint Paul then shows how this transformation takes place: “by the mercies of God,” we are invited to offer ourselves as “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” and to allow our minds to be renewed. We do not transform ourselves by force; we allow the mercy of God to take control of us. The Gospel brings this transformation to its deepest point: the Cross. Peter wants a Christ without suffering, but Jesus teaches that discipleship necessarily passes through taking up the cross. This does not mean that God desires suffering for its own sake or that the cross itself is good. Rather, in Christ, what causes suffering can be transformed into an instrument of salvation. Jesus does not eliminate the Cross; He fills it with love, and love changes its meaning. The same can happen with our crosses, our sacrifices, disappointments, wounds, responsibilities, and struggles. When surrendered to Christ, they need not remain meaningless burdens; His mercy can transform them into places of grace, love, maturity, and salvation. The Christian life, therefore, is not primarily about resisting, controlling, or escaping, but about allowing God’s Word, our thirst for Him, and above all His mercy to transform everything, even the cross, until our whole life becomes a living offering of love. Let’s reflect: Am I allowing God’s Word and mercy to transform my whole life, even my crosses, so that what I suffer can become, in Christ, an offering of love and an instrument of salvation?
Don Giorgio