Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

Fr. MICHAEL BOAKYE YEBOAH

CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF KUMASI

YOU DUPE ME, O LORD

Has suffering ever found favor among children of God? Suffering is not something that is welcomed within some Christian circles, but in the early church it was closely associated with discipleship. Members of the church did not cave-in, but saw suffering as sharing in the paschal mystery of Christ. Suffering became part of the church to the extent that when persecution was abolished with the Edict of Milan (AD 313),the faithful found a way to practice the spirituality of suffering. In the Middle Ages, some Christians practiced all kinds of mortification of the flesh but the most popular was the flagellation.  Flagellation is no longer approved by the church so one should be careful not to be misled to practice it.

Some weird methods of mortifications have been abolished but the spirituality of suffering is still with the church and Pope St. John Paul II wrote an educational encyclical on it. On February 11, 1984, Pope St. John Paul II wrote the encyclical Salvifici Doloris. In this encyclical, the Supreme Pontiff closely linked the saving power of Christ to his suffering. According to Pope St. John Paul II, the perfect manifestation of saving value of pain and suffering is found in the death and resurrection of Christ.

This is a teaching that does not come easily for the minds of many modern-day Christians, neither did it come easy for some ancient prophets and apostles. Jeremiah and Peter give us a clear example of how uneasy it is to accept suffering.

In the first reading, Jeremiah makes his frustrations known. In the gospel passage, Peter could not reconcile the idea that Jesus would allow harm to come his way so he tried to convince him to change his mind. Jesus did not only tell Peter that there could not be a change, but also the way of the cross will be the path for every disciple of his. Peter, like Jeremiah, felt duped by the Lord because that was not what they bargained for when they agreed to follow the Lord. They may have had their respective motivations for following the Lord only for them to be told to experience and embrace the vocation of suffering.

When Jesus had told Peter and the others what awaited him, Peter drew him aside, offering a better alternative but Jesus rebuked him. Love of the cross does not come with an alternative. One ought to carry his/her own cross and follow Jesus, else (s)he cannot meet the Lord’s criteria for discipleship.

For Jeremiah he was not told but he lived it in frustration. Based on today’s first reading and gospel passage, one should note the following because it may be his/her path towards discipleship.

1. The Stage of enticement

The word enticement can be understood as “the quality of being attractive or tempting…” or when it is used as a noun, “it is something used to attract or to tempt someone; a lure.” In salvation history, God usually uses something to lure people to follow him on his chosen path. In the case of Abraham, he was promised numerous descendants who will be God’s chosen people while in the case of Moses, he and the Jews were promised Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. In gospel reading, we encounter Peter who came to follow Jesus because of a great catch of fish. Jeremiah made his own clear in his statement in today’s first reading that “he was seduced by the Lord, and he allowed himself to be seduced.”

There is no doubt that the miracles that the Apostles worked influenced the rise in numbers of those who became Christians. Once a person has been enticed by the Lord, it is highly recommended that authentic instruction should be pursued because enticement may not stand the test of time.

2. The Stage of instruction

Today’s gospel passage starts with these words: “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…” Our Lord and Savior, knowing how integral the paschal mystery is for discipleship, instructed his disciples in it. Though the teaching was difficult to accept he saw the need to teach them the right thing instead of presenting false teachings.

3. The Stage of frustration/challenge

The teaching posed a big challenge to Peter and so we are told that: “Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, ‘God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you…’” In the practice of our faith, we should never opt for the easy way. What is meant to be carried, should be carried with joy for in the end we will be blessed with salvation of our souls.

Though challenging that “the theology of suffering” is, it is the way to salvation. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.