From Rock to Stumbling Block. 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Today’s liturgy presents us with a challenge that is present in the life of every Christian: the temptation to eliminate the cross and suffering. How can suffering be reconciled with the Christian life? Jesus leaves no room for doubt. He says to his disciples: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.".

Jesus begins to reveal to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer greatly, be put to death, and rise again on the third day. Peter, however, cannot see beyond the suffering and death. He does not realize that Jesus’ explanation does not end at the cross, but in the resurrection. For him, suffering cannot be associated with Christ or, consequently, with his followers. What he fails to understand is that, by trying to eliminate the cross, he is also eliminating the resurrection. 

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of last Sunday’s passage. Not long ago, Jesus had praised Peter, calling him the rock upon which He would build His Church and entrusting him with the keys to the Kingdom. Today, however, Peter himself receives a harsh rebuke: “!Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.”. From a rock to a stumbling block.". 

It might seem as though we should take back all the praise we heaped on Peter last week. Perhaps we celebrated him too soon? If we had waited just a few more verses, we would have seen this surprising turn of events. But the Christian life is not that simple. Peter’s experience reveals a reality present in every disciple. We can recognize Christ’s greatness and yet struggle to accept that faithfulness to Him requires sacrifice. We can profess that Jesus is the Son of God and yet become obstacles to His mission when we reject the path He has chosen to save the world.

The first reading offers us an example of this truth. The prophet Jeremiah remained faithful to the word of God, but his faithfulness brought him ridicule and rejection. He became a laughingstock. As he himself laments: “The Word of the Lord has been a source of reproach and contempt for me every day".

Many Christians today can relate to Jeremiah’s experience. Bearing witness to the Gospel sometimes exposes us to misunderstanding, ridicule, and even hostility. Living a spiritually and morally consistent life in Christ can be a source of suffering. This apparent loss is, in reality, true life. We are encouraged not to be stumbling blocks, but to stand firm as a rock in the face of difficulties. We are invited to think as God does—and not as people do—when faced with these circumstances.