Mt. 16:21-27 T wo sides to the Cross. On one side it is a cross of redemption and on the other side it is a cross of compassion

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From: Raymond , , , Sun, 28 August, 2011 18:41:45
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HOMILY SUNDAY 22     YR A  

Matthew 16:21-27  "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (v 24)

Today’s Gospel opens with Jesus first moves to introduce the idea of his passion and his death to his disciples: “Jesus began to make it clear” it says “that he must suffer grievously and be put to death”. This statement so stunned the apostles that they didn’t even notice what he said about rising again on the third day. Peter, in his characteristic, impulsive way, drew him aside, and he began to remonstrate with him.  “Heaven preserve us!”  He said “this mustn’t happen to you”.  We can hardly blame poor Peter for his attitude and for his lack of understanding, but there is no such excuse for us. We have grown up with the whole truth of the mystery of Christ’s passion as our Christian inheritance.

However, although we are, in a way, familiar with the concept of the passion of Christ in God’s plan of redemption, still, there is a way in which we too fail to understand and we fail to accept the reality of the place of the passion and death of Christ in our own lives.  We can fail to realise that we ourselves are all the Body of Christ and we all must share in his passion and death.  Jesus brought this home to us very forcibly when he met the women on his way to Calvary as he was carrying his cross.  He said to them:  “Don’t weep for me.  Weep for yourselves and for your children.”

In effect, what Jesus meant by that statement:  “Don’t weep for me.  Weep for yourselves and for your children”, was that we should weep, not only For him, but also With him.  “This cross I am to be nailed to is not only my Cross, but it is also your cross.  The nails that are to pierce my hands and feet are not only to pierce my hands and feet but also to pierce the hands and feet of yourselves and the hands and feet of your children.  Indeed The Cross is yours before it is mine.  It was to share in yourcross that I came down from heaven.  There are two sides to the Cross.  On one side it is a cross of redemption and on the other side it is a cross of compassion and on both these sides of the cross I have my part to play and on both sides of the cross each one of you has also your own part to play. Compassion and Redemption are the defining characteristics of Christianity.