Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

Collect

God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen. 

Reflection

Have you ever tried to hold a handful of sand? Very often, the more tightly you close your fingers and clench your fist around it, the more it slips away until, in the end, you are left with nothing in your hand. If you want to hold on to the sand, you have to keep your hand open, almost as though you were begging for something. Only then will the sand remain in your hand.   

When Christ says in today’s Gospel, ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,’ this experience of holding a handful of sand comes to my mind. The sand can be a symbol of salvation or, perhaps in terms closer to our own experience, it can represent the true peace of heart that comes from knowing that you are doing the will of God, as we read in the second reading. Today Christ gives us two important lessons about how to attain this.

The first lesson is that, if we wish to follow Him and find true happiness, we must not live only for ourselves. The world dazzles us with promises that, if only we had more money, were more popular, or possessed greater power, we would be happy. But Christ tells us something very different. If we are to attain salvation, our lives must always be lived with open hands: open to welcome others, open to help others, and open, too, like the hands of a beggar who knows that everything he has comes from God. We all know people who did not cling to life for themselves but gave their lives in service of others. That is why we believe that they not only attained the glory of heaven but also experienced true peace of heart here on earth. We do not have to think only of the great saints; we can remember the many people in our own lives who have loved us through countless sacrifices.

This brings us to Christ’s second lesson today, which He states very clearly: when you give your life for others, be prepared to suffer. Both today’s Gospel and the first reading speak of suffering, persecution, and even death. For us, represented by Peter in today’s Gospel, this is difficult to hear and even more difficult to live. Like Peter after last Sunday’s Gospel, we would much rather have glory, praise, and positions of honour. Naturally, we are afraid and we resist. Yet Christ tells us that this alone is the path to true salvation and lasting happiness. He gives us courage because He has already walked that path before us. That is why He now calls us to follow Him. He remains with us in every difficult moment because He has lived through them Himself and knows exactly what they mean.  

Prayer

Lord, today we wish to open our hands to Your will and to open our hands to others. Help us so that, in every difficulty we encounter, we may continue to love, because that love, ‘like a blazing fire’, can never remain shut up within us.