A life of faith necessitates a certain aestheticism. Without this, it would be incredibly difficult to follow Christ.
The disciples could not understand why Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah long awaited, must suffer. But suffering is an integral aspect of the faith.
It is the same for us. Sometimes, we can forget that the suffering part of our life is necessary for what we must go through, for what peace and joy awaits us.
We pray this week for the grace of faith. We ask our good Lord to bestow upon us the gift of understanding, that we may accept the difficulties in our life for the sake of discipleship.
Lord
Grant us the serenity
To accept the things
we cannot change,
Courage to change
the things we can,
And wisdom
to know the difference.
Amen.
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you
And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 16:21-27
Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day.
Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him.
‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you’.
But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?
‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.