Jeremiah 20:7-9

What a real and feisty relationship Jeremiah has with God. He detests what God is asking him to do, but he also identifies deep within him God's call -"There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones."

Romans 12:1-2

How should the Christian behave? The whole of our being, the whole of our life is to become a sacrificial action in union with Jesus.

Matthew 16:21-27

Jesus calls his disciples to deny themselves, to carry the cross, and to follow him. Our Christian lives are to be lives of action.

Suddenly, the summer holidays almost over, and we begin to gear up for school and college. I think particularly of the children beginning school for the first time. And I think of their parents, too. It is quite a challenge, especially if the children are tearful as I was!

Whether or not a new academic year affects you, today Jesus lays down a challenge for each one of us to follow him - "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Paul, in his letter to the Romans, puts it very simply – "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice."

What is your reaction to this challenge? In the Gospel, when Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go up to Jerusalem to suffer many things and be killed before rising on the third day, Peter rebukes Jesus saying that no such things should happen to him. Even the prophet Jeremiah railed against his mission, to tell the people in Jerusalem that their city would be destroyed, and the community would be taken into exile. And yet Jeremiah feels compelled to do the Lord's will.

What unfolds in today's readings is a school of love and sacrifice. Our vocation is to open our hearts to God's calling and  to embrace his will wholeheartedly. That alone will bring us fulfilment and the real inner peace that the world cannot give.

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One of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is ‘Fear of God.’ We tend to understand fear in terms of an unpleasant feeling in terms of a physical, emotional or even a psychological threat. Children at times might fear their parents when they get into trouble, fearing a punishment of sorts. In this understanding, it would be considered ‘servile fear.’ But we should not have this understanding in terms of God. Fear of God is revering God, which is ‘filial fear’, by which our motivation is driven by love. When we love someone, we do not want to hurt or offend them. In today’s Collect, we acknowledge that God is the giver of every good gift and ask that he gives us a love of his name, so that we may have a deepened sense of reverence. In the celebration of the liturgy, there is always a vertical and horizontal element of worship. Vertical in the sense between God and ourselves in that the liturgy is a proper form of worship of God. Horizontal in the sense between each person that the liturgy fosters communion. This is expressed in having a proper ‘internal disposition’, by our active participation in external gestures and having a sense of ‘awe’ which expresses our reverence towards God and each other. The Church asks of it ministers and faithful to adhere to the liturgical guidelines (also known as the General Instructions of the Roman Missal) which is a means of fostering reverence. Our reverence in the celebration of the liturgy, helps us grow in reverence and respect of each other, and also in our relationship with creation. A question we might ask ourselves is how do we approach the sacred mysteries that we celebrate in the liturgy? An attitude of reverence (i.e. love) and awe is crucial. This same attitude is lived out in our daily lives with people and events. This is part of living out the Mass. So do we meaningfully participate in the Mass by our attention to the prayers, gestures, and to listening? Do we respect and revere people and situations of life with a sense of ‘awe’ and gratitude?   

Prayer of the Faithful

For those in the Church who suffer for their faith – may they untie their trails and persecutions with the passion of their Lord and Saviour, and be witnesses to the world that the power of faith overcomes the pain of suffering.

For those who are confined to bed due to illness – may they see their confinement as a sharing with Jesus, and may they supported and loved by others.

For those who struggle to be Christian – may all they supported and encouraged in trials of life, knowing that the Lord is always with them. 

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These hymns have been selected from the Laudate hymnbook:

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608 Take my hands

874 Take my life

877 The Summons (Will you come and follow me)

933 Father hear the prayer we offer

934 Dear Lord and Father of mankind

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