St Stephen of Hungary
20th Week in Ordinary Time : Tuesday 16th August 2022
Ez 28:1-10; (R. Ps.) Deut. 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28,30,35cd-36ab;
Mt. 19:23-30 (Ps Wk IV)
Rich man, poor man, camel passing through the eye of a needle, the kingdom of heaven … “Lord, who can be saved?’
Jesus’ answer is: those who follow Him will be saved, and not only will their sins be forgiven, but they will also share God’s glory.
In following Jesus, one must give up, for Jesus’ sake, all that is dear to oneself, such as wealth, properties, family, abilities — that which constitutes one’s ego, identity, and sense of self-worth. The deal is a total surrender to Jesus in exchange for being saved and sharing God’s glory.
So far, Peter and the group have surrendered to Jesus what they own and who they love. But they haven’t yet followed Him to His end and, therefore, not yet share His glory: the persecution and sufferings and death that Jesus will undergo — the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world and be raised to Life. Jesus is God’s glory!
We may sympathise with Peter’s concern, but now, for us Easter people, we know that these concerns of his are premature. We need only to follow and live Jesus, the Risen Lord, God’s glory!
May God be blessed!
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