22A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 16:21-27, August 30, 2026
By Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM
1. STORY
John was the only
survivor of a shipwreck on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed to God to rescue him, but no help
came. He was able to build a small hut
for protection. One day, as he was out
looking for food, he saw smoke rolling up to the sky. He was stunned with grief to find his hut
burned down. Early the next day, he
heard the sound of a ship approaching the island. It has come to rescue him. John asked them how they knew there was
someone on the island. They replied that
they had seen the smoke signal. His
cross had turned into a crown.
2. GOSPEL,
MATTHEW 16:21-27
A. CHRIST MUST
SUFFER
Jesus tells his
disciples two things.
i. He must suffer
at the hands of the leaders and that he will be put to death.
ii. He will be
raised up on the third day. Jesus must
carry his cross and also will wear his crown.
B. PETER REJECTS
JESUS’ TEACHING
The gospel tells
us two things about Peter.
i. He is shocked
to hear that Jesus will suffer. “God
forbid that such things are to happen to you.”
ii. Jesus scolds
Peter because he is “not judging by God’s standards but by man’s.” Peter rejects the idea that such a good man as
Jesus must suffer.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A. SUFFERING IN
LIFE
There are two
things we must remember.
i. Suffering is a
part of everyone’s life. Everyone must
carry his cross. Some carry heavy ones
while others carry lighter ones. Christ
has told us that those who wish to follow him must “take up his cross.”
ii. Jesus will
bless us if we are willing, freely, and obediently accept our cross. He will reward us with a crown, eternal life. He has said “whoever loses his life (suffers)
for my sake will find it (receive eternal life).” Like Jesus, we must carry our cross and will
wear our crown.
B. WE DO NOT
UNDERSTAND.
Unlike Peter, we
must do two things.
i. We must accept
the fact there is and will always be suffering in life. Some think it is a punishment from God for
their sins. Good people are surprised
that they suffer as they live by God’s law of love. Some think that God is cruel and merciless. All are wrong.
ii. We must not
be like Peter who judged by man’s standards. What we must understand is that God loves us,
cares for us, and gives us the strength to carry our crosses. He is our loving father who wishes us to be
happy. We ask Jesus to strengthen our
faith and illuminate our minds to see clearly that after carrying our cross in
this life we will wear the crown of eternal happiness. No cross, no crown. No pain, no gain.
4. CONCLUSION
John realized
that the burning of his hut was the way he was saved. Jesus, after suffering on the cross, would be
raised from the dead and earn salvation for all. Peter failed to understand this. We also must follow Jesus in that we must
suffer, but, finally, we will enjoy eternal life. We must carry our cross, but we will also wear
the crown of eternal life.
