By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted September 13, 2024

(See the readings for the 24rd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Buildings have been cleaned. Major repairs complete. Rosters are set. Faculty have had their classrooms readied. Students have returned. More than a few parents are overjoyed. School is open and up and running. A new year of learning is underway.

Today we hear from the greatest teacher, Jesus, the Lord of life. In today’s Gospel, he instructs us on one of the most fundamental lessons of life. One that he will repeat, over and over again, in many varied ways. One that he will teach, in word, in deed, and in His very life. That basic teaching is: the way to life is through the cross.

As he says: “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, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

My first encounter with this teaching was when I was a young teenager in my first few years of high school. My grandmother lived in the next parish over so not too far from home. I can still remember taking the 20 bus to go and visit. (This might sound odd for young parents today, but in those days it was safe.) We were a close family. My aunt, uncle and cousins lived down the street from “Mom Mom.” Pop had died a few years previous.

My mom and Aunt Jean started to notice that Mom Mom was getting forgetful. It started out small; conversations once taken place had to be repeated. They started to notice things around the house were out of place or were missing. Mom Mom was getting frustrated and uncharacteristically short in some of her speech. Eventually they sought medical attention and, as you probably realize, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The diagnosis was not as common as it is today so it seemed all new to them.

Eventually it got to the point that Mom Mom could not live by herself. My mom and aunt with the support of my dad and uncle decided that the families would take her in to care for her. At first, she moved in with my aunt and uncle since they lived only a couple blocks away. Mom Mom could go spend some time in her home during the day. As time progressed these visits had to stop. Then she would spend a week at each of the families’ homes. Things got progressively worse with her memory. Slowly she forgot our names.

One thing her memory held the longest were hymns. Anxiety would build in her, and singing those hymns was one of the ways we could calm her fears and help her relax. Sometimes she would try to “escape,” and the neighbors were great in keeping an eye out if she took herself outside the house. Her physical condition was fine until one day she had a fall and then needed nursing care. Every day my parents and whoever of the kids wanted to go would spend hours visiting with her in the nursing home. As it happened, that was where she passed away.

As these days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years, I started to reflect on what was happening. I was amazed at the love my mom and aunt had for Mom Mom. The care they gave her was extraordinary. The patience they had was remarkable. The sacrifices they made were astonishing. It was not only them but my dad and uncle too. No complaints, no moaning, no “why me?” — just love.

It was at this point when I started to become aware of sacrificial love, of the cross. This witness of love had a huge impact on my understanding of God and his love for me. I should say for the sake of my parents, that I knew they loved me and that awareness only grew with time and they certainly sacrificed for me and my siblings. I also witnessed their unconditional love for one another which was also quite amazing.

But the incredible challenges of the situation with my grandmother’s condition brought to the fore another facet of a love that was deeply grounded in them, part of who they were, and the place where they gained the strength to love like they did. I saw how good it was and wanted that too.

Sacrificial love, unconditional love, is the way to life. This is the lesson that Jesus is teaching us again today. The import of this lesson is seen in his interaction with Peter. Jesus’ love, his mission, everything about who he is, is tied to the cross. The passage starts with Jesus asking the disciples his identity. Eventually Peter speaks up and gives the right response: “You are the Christ.”

Jesus then begins to teach them about sacrificial love, which he had already embraced, a love that would lead to his passion and death and through them to resurrection. When Peter rebukes Him, Jesus responds: “Get behind me Satan, you are thinking not as God does but as human beings do!” The rebuke heightens the importance of the lesson. The cross is of God because it is embraced as an act of love. Man, tempted by Satan, may see torture, pain, suffering, grief and death. God sees love, and this love leads to life, divine life, eternal life, pure life – where love and life are one.

Jesus, who is “the way, the truth and the life,” leads us on the path to life. He shows us how to give of ourselves in love. One of the ways in which we take up our cross is through putting the needs of others before our own desires or wants — when we go the extra mile in caring for someone; when we allow our hearts to be moved with compassion at the plight or troubles another is experiencing; when we forgive even when the forgiveness is not deserved; when we give of ourselves expecting nothing in return; and when we give up something we want and give it to the poor. There are many more situations like these where the “cross” is lifted up and is hailed as a sign of love.

Jesus is the greatest teacher because he teaches us about life. Life is a beautiful and good gift from God. Jesus’ lessons on life all involve aspects of love. Today, he once again offers us this most basic and fundamental lesson – the way of life is through the cross for: “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, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.