In our Gospel, Jesus explains, for a second time, that he will be a Messiah who suffers and dies for others, but the disciples still don’t get it: they are arguing over who would be the greatest in Jesus’ earthly kingdom. Jesus tells them that the greatest will be the one who is willing to be a servant to others. That theme is picked up in our second reading from the letter of St. James. He points out that selfish ambition and jealousy bring about disorder and foul practices, whereas wisdom from above (that is, living as Jesus invites us to) brings about peace and happiness.
 
Our natural, human urges and emotions push us to think of ourselves and our loved ones at the expense of others.  Personally, I find it easier to control these human tendencies and think of others (read SERVE OTHERS) when I try to concentrate on what I have, rather than on what I don’t have or want.  Some examples: I have a roof over my head, I have food for three meals each day, I have heat when it is cold and air-conditioning when it is hot, I have a car and money for gas, I have health care at my fingertips, I have all the clothes I need.  Many, many people in the world do not have these things.
 
When I think that way, a couple of things happen: first, I am grateful for how blessed I am.  Second, I am not stressed out by the price of things (for example, 12 years ago, when I lived in Rome, gas was approximately $10 a gallon. Should I be complaining to spend $3.50 now?). Third, I am more willing to share resources I have with those who don’t have, rather than accumulate more things that I really don’t need.
 
We are incredibly blessed in all we have; we need to be grateful to God.  Keeping that in the forefront of our consciousness will help us avoid falling into the consumerism pushed by our culture and be more willing to share with those in need.  That is living Gospel values.
 
Church sign: What if today we were grateful for everything?

Peter is quite the character in the Gospels.  In this Sunday’s selection, he is the first to declare that Jesus is the Messiah: a win.  But he immediately refuses to accept that Jesus will be a Messiah who suffers and dies, not a triumphant king, thus being called “Satan.”  Definitely not a win.  At the Last Supper, Peter boasts that he would gladly die for Jesus.  Shortly afterwards he denies Him three times and runs away, abandoning Jesus during His passion and death.  But Peter becomes the first leader of the Church, despite all these glaring failures.
 
My friends, like Peter, we will all fail.  Peter is an example to us that all is not lost when we mess up, even horribly: God still loves us, will not reject us, and will continue to use us to bring His love into the world.  We just have to follow Peter’s example.
 
First, we have to acknowledge that we have failed.  We are told that Peter wept bitterly when he saw Jesus and realized what he had done.  He knew that he had failed and he accepted it.  He also accepted God’s forgiveness and forgave himself, as shown after the resurrection.  When Jesus appeared to the
disciples in the upper room, He asked Peter three times if he loved Him, one time for each denial.  Peter was humbly able to admit his failure to himself, accept Jesus’ outreach and forgiveness, and forgive himself.  Then he was freed of the burden of guilt and able to move on, becoming a bold
proclaimer of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
 
My friends, we will fail.  If we can admit our mistake, accept God’s forgiveness, and forgive ourselves, then we will be able to move on without the burden of guilt.  Having experienced God’s love and forgiveness, perhaps we will even be better at sharing the same with others.  It isn’t failure that keeps us down; it is refusing to let go of the guilt and move on.
 
Dear Lord, help me to admit my failures, accept your forgiveness, and forgive myself, so that I can bring your love and forgiveness to the world around me.  Amen.
 
Church sign: All Christians, like pianos, need frequent tuning.

Our second reading from the letter of St. James addresses one of our very human foibles: treating those who are wealthy or powerful better than we treat an “ordinary” person. James presents it as a person with fine clothes and gold rings who gets a seat of honor, versus a person with shabby clothes that is told to stand off to the side.
 
I’ve been reflecting on why we would do that.  Could it be that we think, even unconsciously, that the wealthy or influential person has the ability to help us, whereas the other person would more likely need our help?  Could it be out of respect, in the sense that we are acknowledging the supposed skills and accomplishments of the person who is better off?  Could there be an element of being judgmental, in the sense that the one must have worked harder than the other?
 
I know that I struggle with this question.  If someone is a generous donor to the parish, my natural inclination is to make sure I am paying attention to them. The problem or challenge is that I might not have that same “natural inclination” to treat someone else the same way.  I am starting to come to realize that what I have to concentrate on is making sure I am also listening to those who don’t have that much money to give, but who have equal needs and are part of the community.  In other words, I don’t need or want to lessen my respect and attention to the influential; I want to ramp up my respect and attention to others, so that I am treating all equally.
 
St. James brings home his point by saying, “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom…?”  There are a lot more qualities that make a person rich than fine clothes and gold rings.
 
I invite us this week to reflect on how much we are ruled by our human tendency to judge and treat people differently, according to external factors.  What matters to God is what is inside the person.
 
Church sign: Love is the absence of judgment.