This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
If only there were some middle ground.
Middle ground between the insipid rot of sin, and the insanity of the Cross.
But there is not. Many would like to rail against God for this; but in the end, man’s rebellion against God is the source of this uncomfortable dichotomy–a rebellion which we habitually take so lightly and so casually, that we fall into the absurd temptation of blaming God for its terrible consequences.
It would be so nice if we could just live a comfortable, bourgeois, care-free existence here on earth, paying God routine worship as part of our life of coasting along, and then enjoy the blessings of eternal life upon our deaths.
But this middle ground simply does not exist; it is a phantasm, a mirage. In the second reading, St. Paul tells us to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” For Jeremiah in the first reading, the mission God gives him is “like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.”
But it is in today’s gospel that Jesus gives the definitive answer to Peter, who urges Him to stop talking about the Cross and to adopt a “normal” life: “Get behind me Satan!…Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.”
It would be wrong to interpret Jesus’ words to mean that every moment of a Christian’s life on earth is pure agony. But Jesus does call us to renounce the “normal,” default path of constant worldly comfort-seeking and glory-seeking, and make of our entire life, moment by moment, a gift for the happiness and welfare of others, both eternal and temporal.
And the conversion of our lives into a constant gift turns our life from something “normal,” from the default human path, into a continuous uphill walk to Calvary; a constant upstream paddle. There is not downhill roll, no downstream coasting, for a Christian. As St. Paul says in the second reading:
“Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
But if indeed that comfortable middle ground of a “good, normal life” does not exist as an option for a Christian, if we are called to renounce coasting now and for all time, the result for our lives is far from a tragedy. “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” The happiness we find in the all-in choice for Christ and His path brings with it an utterly unexpected happiness and fulfillment, utterly disproportionate to the relatively small sacrifice we make in making a gift of our lives. We are raised far beyond the capacities of our limited nature, to participate in the very nature and overabundant joy of God–even here on earth. And in eternity: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Examine your life in the light of today’s readings, in the light of Christ’s radical invitation away from coasting and toward a complete gift of self, carrying your cross and following Him. Are you ready to give up the fake “middle road,” which in the end is merely a gentle downward spiral into selfishness and sin? Are you ready to jump radically into His challenge, with reckless trust in Him for your happiness–are you ready to follow Jesus Christ? Tell Him today, once and for all, that you are ready to give Him your whole heart.
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