Homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 The Significance Of The Parable Of The Two Sons

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 27, 2026

The context for today’s Gospel (Matthew 21:28-32) is the growing tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. The Lord has entered Jerusalem and overturned the money changer’s tables in the Temple. He has caught the attention of the religious authorities, who are wondering: Who is this man who comes into Jerusalem, receiving the praises of the masses, overturning tables, and driving moneychangers out of the Temple? The chief priests and elders are questioning him about the source of his authority. Instead of answering directly, Jesus tells the parable of two sons: A man has two sons. He asks his first son to work in the vineyard. The son initially refuses, saying, “I will not,” but later changes his mind and obeys. The second son agrees, saying, “Yes, sir, I will go,” but then also changes his mind and refuses. Jesus asks the authorities which son did the father’s will. They reply honestly, “The first.” Then Jesus makes a startling statement, call it a theological and spiritual bomb: “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” Why? He explains: “When John came in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even seeing this, you did not change your minds and believe him.” 

What is the significance of this parable? The point the Lord makes in today’s Gospel is that actions speak louder than words. Talk is cheap. God wants more than agreement; he wants obedience. God wants good words and good works as well. He wants faith and fidelity. If you want to test whether you have faith and fidelity, ask yourself: In the past week, have I done things I didn’t feel like but still did because I sensed God wanted me to? Also, have I avoided doing something I wanted to do because I believed it wasn’t God's will? I tell you, that is the Bible definition of faith. What marked the great heroes of our faith listed in Hebrews 11 is that their faith consisted in their obedience. They followed the directions of God. Their actions, not just their words or thoughts, aligned with God's commands. Faith means fidelity to God, fidelity to his will, obedience to his command. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

More to it, the parable emphasizes the first son's repentance: he changed his mind and followed his father's instruction. The theme of repentance, metanoia, is central in Jesus’ preaching. The moment he appeared on the public scene, the first word out of his mouth was “repent”: change your mind, change your thinking, go beyond the mind you have, and surrender to God’s new way of ordering things. Jesus wants a total renovation of our lives, behaviors, attitudes, and mindset. He wants us to get to the roots of our transgression and dysfunction, addressing not just the symptoms but the deep causes. For instance, if your relationships are unhealthy, Jesus wants us to root out the problem. If sin has affected your professional life, or if you're resistant to forgiveness, to God's word, or to what Jesus teaches through His Church, He wants us to get to work. Ultimately, Jesus wants us to change our hearts and turn to God. That’s why, after the parable of the two sons, Jesus tells the chief priests and elders of the people that “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven before you.” The tax collectors, like Matthew and Zacchaeus, and prostitutes, like the anonymous sinful woman who anoints Jesus’ feet in Luke 7, when they met Christ, repented, converted, were saved, and became saints. But not the religious leaders. 

Now, is Jesus minimizing the sins of tax collectors or prostitutes? Not at all! They repented because of the preaching of John the Baptist, while the chief priests and elders did not, even though they too had sins to repent of, which were more hidden. The implied warning to us is to beware of spiritual pride of feeling morally or spiritually superior to others and thinking that you are less sinful than some other people whose sins are more obvious. When the great St. Augustine was asked to name the four cardinal virtues, his response was: humilitas, humilitas, humilitas, and humilitas (humility, humility, humility, and humility). Have you noticed that the very first prayers of the Mass are the Confiteor, the confession of sins (I confess to Almighty God), and the Kyrie Eleison (“Lord, have mercy”)? In Eastern Orthodox spirituality, the most loved and repeated prayer is “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” To deny that truth—the truth of one’s brokenness, dysfunction, and sin—is a profound spiritual dishonesty. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Enduring Lessons of the Parable Of The Landowner

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Today’s Gospel is called “The Workers in the Vineyard” (Matthew 20:1-16a). In it, Jesus narrates the parable of the landowner who hires people at different times of the day, and when it was time to pay, everyone received the same wage. Who is the landowner in the story? God alone! God is the landowner. He created heaven and earth and everything in them. Our very life, breath, being, all of it, comes from God. God is the original and primary owner of everything we own in this world. That's why everything we are and have ought to be used to honor and glorify God. 

From our perspective and from a practical standpoint, the landowner’s actions seem unjust, unfair, and wrong. Some might say that God is foolish for deciding to pay everyone the same regardless of their level of work. Others will argue that what the landowner has done here is a terrible business practice. However, it’s important to remember who God is. God is that being, that reality, who possesses complete knowledge of everything. God knows everything about everything. Our understanding of what is just, fair, and right is very limited in both depth and scope. In contrast, God’s knowledge encompasses everything, making our understanding like a tiny drop of water. I tell you, what we can see from God's viewpoint is laughably small. 

First spiritual lesson: God is kind and merciful. He is compassionate toward everyone, no matter when they choose to turn to Him. God is in the business of saving His children and does not turn back on them. Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son. After wasting his share of his father’s estate, he returned home thinking he was not worthy to be called a son. But to his greatest shock, he was received by a joyful father. This is the true and living God. Our God is patient, kind, and merciful. God deeply desires to have his children home. Anyone who returns to him,  no matter how late, would be welcomed. 

The second spiritual lesson. In the great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). But the resentment we feel towards the latecomers, those who worked for just an hour in the Lord’s vineyard, reveals something significant: that we are still imperfect, not yet fully loving God and our neighbors. Could you imagine the great Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the disciple of perfect love, frowning her face and showing resentment simply because a sinner was forgiven, healed, and delivered into heaven at their deathbed? That won’t happen. The same Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who loved exceedingly and cared for everyone—Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, etc. would be overjoyed to welcome anyone into heaven, even those who came in at the last hour. That’s the nature of true love. If God’s actions are unjust, then you are unjust. If they are unfair, then you are unfair. If they are wrong, then you are the one at fault. In Isaiah 55:6-9, God says, “…my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”

The third spiritual lesson: In the parable, the landowner hired workers at different times of day: some at dawn, others around nine o’clock, some at noon, some at three o’clock, and a few near sunset at five o’clock. What is the common movement of all the workers? They left behind their idleness —call it spiritual dormancy, spiritual laziness, spiritual sit-and-look, spiritual uselessness — and responded to the call of the landowner—God. This is the call-and-response model on full display. What’s the message here? When God calls, drop everything and follow him without reservation, for nothing could be more important. And God is in the business of calling people everywhere to come to him. That many people are staying away from religion does not mean God has stopped calling. That Catholics are staying away from Sunday Mass does not mean that God has stopped calling. In fact, God is calling out louder today. But many have stuffed their ears with worldly noise. We distract ourselves from attending to the great questions of the world, our existence, the purpose of life, etc. But in the recesses of our hearts, God calls and calls. But many choose to ignore him. Today’s Gospel should not be understood as suggesting that everyone will be saved on the final day, a theological position known as apocatastasis, which the Catholic Church has already classified as a heresy. 

In one of my homilies, I mentioned that salvation occurs when God’s persistent desire for us meets our own persistent longing for Him. The primacy of grace emphasizes that God always takes the first step. God always initiates the process. Divine grace comes first, but human free will needs to cooperate. As Saint Augustine said, “God who created us without us cannot save us without us.” 

God bless you!

Homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Even in Times of Suffering, God Remains Present

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 20, 2026

In today’s first reading (Isaiah 55:6-9), Prophet Isaiah presents one of the Old Testament’s most theologically rich and revealing passages. It emphasizes the indisputable reality that although God is so near to us, He remains radically other: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near… For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” To amplify this notion, the great St. Augustine said, “God is nearer to me than I am to myself.” Is God near to us? Yes indeed! But where the rubber meets the road is in the problem of human suffering. Suffering always tests God’s nearness. Suffering is a reality that affects everyone. Everybody suffers! Even a newborn child suffers. The first thing a child does the moment he or she is expelled from the mother’s womb is to cry. Why? Because, for the first time, the baby is exposed to a harsher environment. To suffer is to live in a harsh environment that can sometimes be life-threatening. 

Many people, including religious people, wrestle with the question: if God is infinitely close to all things, including us, how could God be presiding over this disaster? Why is God allowing us to suffer? The answer is in Isaiah: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (55:8). Is God close to us in our suffering? Yes, indeed! But will we understand God’s purpose in allowing our suffering? Not always! God says, “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

Let me offer this silly analogy to buttress my point. Of all the lower animals God created, dogs are humanity’s best friend. Dogs are amazing animals. When I was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I had a male dog named Max. I bought him as a puppy, and he grew up with me. Max knew I loved him dearly. But I will never forget one experience. I took him to the veterinarian for regular checkups and shots. As soon as I lifted him and placed him on the doctor’s table, he started whimpering. He knew what was coming: the shots. Before the shots, the doctor wanted blood samples for tests. He asked me to hold Max. As soon as the doctor started to draw blood from him, my dog looked at me with deep sadness. His expression seemed to ask, “You who love me, why are you doing this to me?” 

Max knew I was his master, his friend, his companion, and his caretaker, yet I was also presiding over his pain and suffering. The look on his face clearly said, “How could you be doing this to me?” Even as I stroked Max’s back, it wasn’t enough to explain why I was taking part in his anguish. Though I tried to talk to Max and explain that the shots were good for him, my efforts failed to produce the desired result. When we got into the car, Max avoided me. Not until we got home and I gave him his favorite bone did he forget what had transpired. There was no way I could have explained the situation to my dog in a way he could understand, because there is a qualitative difference between his capacity to understand and mine. There is something fundamentally different about the way I see and imagine the world and the way he does. This may not be a compelling example, but it’s an analogy that hints at God’s relationship with us. Do we go through suffering in a way that makes us look at God as presiding over our calamity? Yes! Do we look at God with the same look that Max gave me? Yeah!

Parents often struggle to explain to their kids why they need to take pills or get injections when they are sick, because they are too young to understand the purpose of the pain of an injection or swallowing medicine. They are too young to understand why they should endure all that. This is also an analogy to God’s relationship to us when we suffer. The problem with suffering is our inability to comprehend it. When we suffer, we question God’s nearness. We ask how God could forget us; we ask why and how God, who promises never to forget us, will preside over the adversity that has befallen us. But is God close to us? Absolutely, yes! Even if a mother forgets her child, God promises not to forget us. At the same time, let’s not forget that as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are God’s ways above our ways and God’s thoughts above our thoughts. If someone asks you, “How come we suffer?” feel free to answer, “I don’t know. I am like a child who does not know or understand the need to take medicine and allow shots to be given to him.” But there is someone who loves me, who is present in my situation, who may not even, in principle, begin to make sense of it to me because of the radical difference between him and me.

God bless you!

Homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

Seven Practical Ways To Seek The Lord

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 20, 2026

In the Book of Isaiah, particularly in chapters 40 to 55, we are repeatedly told that God is both infinitely close to us and infinitely transcendent. To show the reality of God’s nearness, Isaiah, in today’s first reading, says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (55:6). Who is the prophet speaking to? To all of us! Please don’t convince yourself that you are not a scoundrel or wicked. To some degree, we have done things in the past that we are not proud of. God knows that is true. What are we supposed to do now? Give up because we cannot attain the perfection that Jesus demands? Not at all! In the political arena, we often hear the aphorism: “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” We should not give up simply because we have not yet attained perfection. Although we are not perfect, God still loves us. So, through the prophet Isaiah, God wants us to seek him now, while we have the chance, life, and breath. 

But how can we seek the Lord? First, begin your day with morning prayer. This could be a brief prayer, such as a Hail Mary or the Our Father. Do this before you check your phone or start work. Second, cultivate the habit of being in God's presence. Yes, we are always in God's presence, but do we do so consciously? Turn everyday tasks into conversation with the Lord by whispering short, simple prayers like “Jesus, I trust in you,” “Jesus, you are my Savior,” or “Jesus, I love you.” Third, before you sleep at night, spend a quiet moment in personal reflection, examination of conscience, and speaking to the Lord from your heart. God is a person, not a force. So learn to speak to Him. Talk to Him about anything and everything. If you have nothing to say to God, which I believe is not possible, you can pray for me. Fourth, attend Mass. Make it a habit to attend Mass every Sunday and some weekday Masses, too. Think of prayer at home like going to the neighborhood store to buy things like milk, eggs, cheese, chips, etc. But think of attending Mass and participating fully as going to the big stores like Costco, Target, Sam’s Club, etc. There, you have virtually every food item you need. The Mass is the highest form of prayer. At Mass, we offer the Eternal Father the same sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. It baffles me that St. Bridget, which has many retired folks, does not see increased attendance at the daily Masses. This was not my experience when I was helping out within the Archdiocese. Fifth, do not forget the Sacrament of Confession, reconciliation, and penance. Go to Confession regularly to clear your soul of sin and renew your grace-filled friendship with God. Secular culture has weakened, and sometimes destroyed, the sense of sin. But popular culture does not determine our path. Secular culture and its proponents did not create us, sustain us, or die for us. Jesus did! And it is the Lord we ought to listen to. Sixth, Eucharistic adoration will begin soon. Make the time to join us on Tuesday. In the exposed Sacrament, Jesus is present. Seventh, from time to time, read something that uplifts and strengthens your faith. Eighth, perform the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. 

In the words of Dorothy Day, “Everything a baptized person does every day should be directly or indirectly related to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.” 

God bless you!

Fr. Marcel

Homily for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Forgiveness Is Sine Qua Non For True Worship Of God

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of Saint Bridget of Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Sunday, September 13, 206

In today’s Gospel, Simon Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus replies, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” What does Jesus mean by seventy-seven times? According to the great American Evangelist, Billy Graham, “What Jesus meant by this expression was that we ought to forgive others without limit.” Forgiveness has no limit. It should be a norm, a habit, and a continuous way of life rather than a scoreboard. What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is an act, not an attitude. It is the active repair of a broken relationship, even in the face of opposition, violence, or indifference. Forgiveness is bearing the other person’s burden and moving toward him, even when he refuses to move an inch toward you. Forgiveness is relentless, even aggressive, because it means refusing to give up on a relationship. When a relationship is sundered, each party should, in justice, do their part to reestablish the bond. If your brother, sister, or neighbor refuses to cooperate, do not give up. Keep praying; keep taking steps that move you in his or her direction. Forgiveness is never optional. 

Forgiveness is not a denial of the seriousness of the offense against you. Amateur advisers and consolers often urge us to “Forgive and forget.” But forgiveness does not mean forgetting, condoning, or excusing offenses. It does not mean repeatedly putting yourself in harm’s way. Although forgiveness can help repair a damaged relationship, it does not obligate you to keep putting yourself in harm’s way, especially if the offender is a serial offender. Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. It is a courageous act that embodies Christ's grace, kindness, and compassion.

How should I forgive? One, acknowledge that you have been hurt. Ask yourself whether you played any role in what happened. Two, make up your mind and heart to let go, knowing that carrying anger toward others and sadness within you is a burden you no longer wish to bear. It’s time to go home another way. Three, consider your offender confused, believing they would become happier by harming you. Four, desire to let go of your anger. Let go of your desire to punish or teach them a lesson. Five, stop believing that choosing to forgive condones an unjust action. Six, stop waiting for an apology. If it is given, accept it. Seven, desire to make things better, not bitter. Eight, desire to forgive. Will it. Aspire for it. Yearn for it. Long for it. Thirst for it as if your life depends on it. And in reality, the quality of your life depends on it. Nine, start praying for your offender. The more you pray for them—asking God to be merciful to them and to bless them—the more you will see their good, and the easier it becomes for you to forgive them. Ten, make time to sit before the cross of Jesus and meditate on it. 

If I don’t want to forgive, can I still make heaven? The answer is: You may not! Remember, without forgiveness, you block God's movement in you. God is love, and anything in us that opposes love blocks the flow of God’s power and life. In the Gospel of Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus said, “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” But how do I know I have forgiven my brother and sister? One, you know you have forgiven when you no longer want to hurt them. Two, you know you have forgiven when you no longer wish them harm. Three, you know you have forgiven when you no longer hurl abuse or curses at them. Four, you know you have forgiven when you are no longer angry or bitter about what was done to you. Five, you know you have forgiven when you no longer resist praying for the well-being and salvation of the one who has hurt you. Six, you know you have truly forgiven when you no longer avoid being in the same space with them or making eye contact with them. 

Does forgiveness have any benefit? Yes indeed! According to Mayo Clinic staff, forgiveness, or letting go of grudges and bitterness, can lead to improved health and peace of mind. It can lead to the following: 

1. Healthier relationships. 
2. Improved mental health
3. Less anxiety, stress, and hostility
4. Lower blood pressure
5. Fewer symptoms of depression
6. A stronger immune system 
7. Improved heart health
8. Improved self-esteem
9. For me, one benefit of forgiveness is that it breaks the cycle of hatred, revenge, and violence. 
10. Forgiveness gives you the confidence and credibility to ask God for forgiveness.
11. Forgiveness is medicine that heals us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Go And Tell Him: The Gospel Way Of Fraternal Correction

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 6, 2026

A story is told of a young woman, Lucy, who strayed from the church as a teenager. After nine years of trying atheism, spiritism, and the New Age, she found her way back to the church by the grace of God. While recounting her escapades, Lucy said that what hurt her most during those nine years of spiritual exile was that no one in her church missed her. She said no one ever called to ask what was wrong or visited to find out why she stopped coming to church. She said, “Of course the indifference and the silence of all the people in my church gave me the impression that the church does not want me.” Of course, the church needs everybody, including people like Lucy. But what are we doing to help the many men and women in Lucy’s situation find their way back into the church, particularly into our parish? The first reading, second reading, and the Gospel invite us to examine our indifferent attitude toward the fallen and lax members of our church and remind us that we have a duty to reach out to them.

Some may argue that it is not their business if someone decides not to serve God again. But as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, we are not only a priestly people who pray; we are also a prophetic people, God’s spokespersons. Each of us is an oracle and a mouthpiece of God. We are God’s representatives. We are not only hearers but doers of God’s word. 

In today’s first reading (Ezekiel 33:7-9), God tells Prophet Ezekiel: “I have appointed you watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.” This is a direct statement from the Lord to his prophet. If you didn’t know it before, know it now: we are all prophets. By the virtue of our baptism, we are all prophets, priests, and kings. The prophetic task is not for people like Ezekiel or the bishops, priests, and deacons alone. We are all prophets. The Lord has appointed us watchmen of the house of Israel. And don’t forget that, according to St. Paul, the Church is the new Israel. Do we know the Lord’s teaching? Do we know the Lord’s will? Have you tried to step out of your comfort zone to warn others—family members and even church members—about violations of the Lord’s teachings or views that are not in line with them? I know that the culture tells us not to judge, to stay in our lane, to mind our business, and to accept the principle of “live and let live.” But those philosophies are not rooted in the Bible. God has called us to bring God to others, or else we will be responsible for their lack of knowledge of God. St. Paul understood this clearly, which is why he said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “I am doomed if I do not preach the gospel.” 

The reason to warn others, especially those close to us, is that the Catholic Church believes in objective morality: right and wrong are real, unchanging truths that do not depend on personal feelings, cultural trends, or human opinion. I know there are cacophonies of voices telling us the opposite: that morality is a matter of convention, that I have my values and you have yours; that is why I don’t judge you, and you should not judge me either. But the Bible does not support that kind of subjectivism, relativism, or indifferentism. The Bible always takes a stand and insists on objective moral values. Why? Because moral values are grounded in the laws of God, which in turn are grounded in the being and nature of God. God is unchangeable. He is not swayed by human feelings or popular opinions, so neither is God’s truth. The idea of “my private opinion, your private opinion” is not the Bible. Period! 

With that in mind, let us consider what Jesus said about reaching out to a family member who has wronged us. His pastoral prescription is of great practical importance. It addresses how to engage in fraternal correction: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” In a broader sense, if your brother or sister is doing something that is self-destructive, something that harms the family’s name and reputation, or something that will hurt someone else, go to them and tell them their fault between you and them alone. Honestly, this sounds very simple, yet it is very difficult to do. It is much easier to complain to others, to gossip, or to post it on Facebook. And we all have a PhD in doing this. But the Lord’s way is to go to the person first. To love is to will the good of the other. If you will another’s good, bring the matter to their attention. 

But if the person does not listen, Jesus does not recommend bad-mouthing tourism on social media or in private conversations with your friends. He does not say, “Give up!” Instead, he encourages us to take the next step with the same attitude of love: “Take one or two others along with you.” Take people who believe in reconciliation, who are willing to help, and who have been involved in family intervention or in helping friends sort out their differences. But if this move does not work, again, Jesus does not say you should congratulate yourself and say, “Well, I tried,” and then give up. He says, go to the next level: “If he refuses to listen, tell the church.” The church is the community who, in Christ, cares about other people. But if he refuses to listen to the church, Jesus says, “treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” What does that mean? Love him, anyway! Continue to love him, nevertheless. Why? Because Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). And in your second reading (Romans 13:8-10), the great St. Paul says, “Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” I tell you, many broken relationships could have been saved if we followed this rule. So many heartaches could have been avoided if we followed these steps. 

God bless you!

Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Conditions And Cost Of Discipleship

Rev.  Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, August 30, 2026

 A nun was explaining the Stations of the Cross to her class. When they reached the fourth Station, where Jesus, on the road to Calvary, meets his mother, the nun said that even though they could not speak to each other, mother and son communicated through their eyes. Then she asked the pupils, “What do you think they said to each other?” One child answered, “This is unfair.” Another said, “Why me?” Finally, a sickly little girl raised her tiny hand, stood up, and said: “Sister, the Blessed Mother told Jesus, ‘Keep on going, my Son!’” Why would a mother encourage her only Son, on the road to crucifixion, to keep on going? It’s because the mother understands the Christian principle of “no cross, no crown.”

Last week, we heard Saint Peter's great confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Because he accurately identifies who Jesus is, he is called Cephas, rock, the firm ground upon which the Church shall be built. Moments later— our Gospel for today (Matthew 16:21-27)— the same Peter is told that he is a Satan, a stumbling block, thinking not as God thinks but as men think. What is responsible for this startling reversal? Peter doesn’t get the cross. He doesn’t understand that the entire momentum of Jesus’ life is toward the cross. Something huge, historic, consequential, life-changing, earthshaking will happen on the cross. The greatest and fiercest spiritual warfare will take place there. Jesus comes as a Warrior ready to do battle with the source of all evil. And all sorts of forces are trying to keep him from it— some out of self-interest, some out of genuine concern. But what they have in common is that they just don’t get it; they just don’t get him. 

Jesus knows his mission clearly. He knows when tetelestai, “Paid in full,” will be accomplished. He tells his disciples that he must travel to Jerusalem, suffer greatly, and be killed, and on the third day he will rise. But they have no clue. Speaking for all the disciples, Peter says to Jesus, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” Even Jesus’ promise that he would be raised on the third day does not persuade Peter. At this point, Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Peter represents Christians, probably all of us who believe “Have faith in Jesus, and all will be okay.” Peter stands for all of us. We want the crown, but not the cross. Yet throughout his teaching and in his own life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, teaches that the way of the cross is the way to the crown. Jesus understood the principle of “no cross, no crown” perfectly. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Without the cross, there will be no crown. Without death, there will be no resurrection.

Sisters and brothers, Jesus does not promise us a crossless life. He does not promise us roses without thorns. His Gospel is like a coin. It has two sides: the cross and the crown. If we try to embrace one, the glorious one, and reject the other, the denial of oneself and the carrying of the cross, we falsify the Gospel. Preachers who preach a crossless “gospel” are not proclaiming the true Gospel of Christ. They are misleading people and driving so many into spiritual frustration, disillusionment, and religious indifference. How so? If I have been taught that faith in Jesus takes away the cross and misfortune, and at a certain point in my spiritual journey and life I begin to experience a storm that refuses to go away, and if I do not receive proper counseling rooted in the authentic faith of Christianity, I might end up believing that God has forgotten me or does not care. This new reality might cause me to relapse into faithlessness. This is the key problem with prosperity preaching. It takes away the redemptive cross and gives people false promises, false hope, and fake crowns.

Now, left to me, I do not want the cross at all. I know what the cross means, and it frightens me. But because I fully belong to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, I must listen to what he says. On the mountain of Transfiguration, the voice of God the Father was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). During his public ministry, this same Son of God proclaimed a teaching that must have been gut-wrenching for his first-century audience, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” What is going on here? Jesus is laying out the conditions for discipleship. It is not all about me; it is about him. Since God created us in his image and likeness, we have been creating ourselves in the image and likeness of lesser gods and created things. Therefore, true conversion—the metanoia that Jesus speaks about—is more than moral reform, although it includes it. It involves a complete shift in consciousness, a whole new way of looking at one’s life. God owns me, and I owe God my love and loyalty. Unless I crucify my ego and put Jesus first, I cannot be his disciple. I tell you, putting Jesus first will sometimes attract humiliation, rejection, ill-speaking, nakedness, and death. If you are unfazed by these, you are ready for discipleship. 

God bless you!