Get Behind Jesus!

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde on Sept. 1, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More.

I wonder if any of us is feeling uneasy or uncomfortable, after having just heard the three Scripture readings, especially the Gospel. After all, the words proclaimed to us this morning do not sound pleasant and comforting: words like — "You duped me, O Lord," "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." These are hardly material for Madison Avenue Public Relations efforts. In today’s Gospel we also hear: "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Surely this is not our society’s formula for success.

If we are really honest, we agree far more with St. Peter than with Jesus; for when Jesus began to speak about his approaching rejection, suffering and death, Peter took Jesus aside and protested vehemently: "You’ve got to be kidding! Who ever heard of a tortured and murdered Messiah?!" But no, Jesus was not kidding or even exaggerating. He told Peter clearly, almost harshly: "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Three significant words are found in Jesus’ response. Jesus told Peter not simply to get out of his sight, but to "get behind me." In other words, Jesus was telling Peter that if he intended to be His follower, His disciple, he must "get behind" Jesus and follow Him and, in that way, begin to learn what God’s plan really was by imitating Jesus’ example. That is advice you and I are being given this morning by the same Jesus. If we want to be His real followers, we must get behind Him and follow His way of life.

Yes, following in the footsteps of Jesus means trying each day to relive His way of life in ours, or, even more precisely, to let Jesus live in us in the here-and-now of daily life. Doing this inevitably involves making sacrifices, because it demands that we be counter-cultural, that we not accept many of the attitudes and practices of the current culture. St. Paul’s advice in today’s second reading, originally given to the Christians at Rome, is no less valid for us. "Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect."

As I say, following Jesus necessarily involves being counter-cultural and embracing the Christian paradox: through death to life, a paradox we initially experienced at our Baptism.

Our three Scripture readings today remind us that Jesus’ way involves many paradoxes. For example, "whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The society in which we live urges us to be self-fulfilled, to look out for number one, in fact, to be number one no matter who gets hurt and has to be used in the process. That is not what Jesus is telling us. He says that self-seeking is, in the end, self-defeating. It is in giving, in loving, in other-directed living that one really finds him or herself. Translated into everyday experience, this kind of paradox means: Making time for the kids to tell us their stories and to play with us; being willing to listen to each other’s account of our day; trying again and again to be patient and to forgive; and re-evaluating books, magazines and internet sites we read or visit by asking: Does this really enrich my life? Is this in accord with Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church?

Permit me to quote Msgr. James Turro, who reflects on today’s Gospel in these words. "‘You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things,’ which is to say you are not thinking as God thinks but very likely as your favorite anchorman thinks, or as the editor of your paper thinks. What kind of Christian does that make you? The only safe norm is for one to take his cue from Christ speaking through his Church" (Magnificat, Vol. 4, No 7, September 2002, p. 28).

Paradoxes are hard to accept, they look so much like contradictions. To live by them takes faith, courage, and trust. The challenge often seems more than we can handle. To live life the way Jesus asks — by way of Christian paradox — will not be easy or comfortable. The prophet Jeremiah felt the pain and complained to the Lord, as the first reading illustrates. We too will be tempted to complain. Jesus is reminding us that while it will not be easy, it will be worthwhile. For the end result of the Christian paradox is life in all of its fullness. How do we know that? Look at the cross: on it Jesus died and yet He lives now and forever. It will be the same for us if only we get behind Jesus and walk in His footsteps. Why not begin right now? Why not be the saints of the third Christian millennium?

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