Scripture Reflection August 31, 2008: Teamwork with God

Scripture Readings:
Jeremiah 20: 7-9
Psalm 63
Romans 12: 1-2
Matthew 16: 21-27

THAT’S NOT FAIR! How many times do we think that way when we encounter injustice of any kind? That’s exactly like Peter must have felt: His friend and teacher Jesus - a man who has done so much good in the world, whom he admires and loves – is supposed to be suffering and be killed. Isn’t that crazy? Isn’t it just crazy to go ahead and choose to go into suffering with open eyes? What else can you say to such a friend? “God forbid! No such things shall ever happen to you.” Maybe there is not only the love for Jesus behind Peter’s words, but also his own life, his choices, his beliefs. Didn’t he leave everything to follow the master, to follow His call, live for his ideals? And now? ”What about us? What about me? What’s going to happen to us?” For sure he was expecting a different ‘end of the story’, more like a happy end… This is just not fair!

I can see myself a lot in Peter’s word. His answer is normal, understandable, human… Who would choose suffering if he had the choice? But God’s logic is different.
Some years ago during my college time I was a volunteer, involved in Youth Ministry. I was working for formation programs, retreats and tried to keep people connected. I experienced a lot of enthusiasm in the beginning, but then things started getting harder. I felt like a ‘locomotive’, trying to trail a long train behind me. And they never started going. Without me, nothing really happened. I felt alone and didn’t feel the support of my team members. “It’s not fair!” – I thought. Why invest all my time and energy? I could do something different. Just take another way. Let someone else go ahead with that.
And I remember having heard exactly this passage of the gospel. I felt like Jesus was saying to me: “Get behind me (…)! It’s not your work, it’s not your ministry, it’s not about you at all! It’s about God! It’s about what God wants from you and every person you work with.” And I understood: God’s ways are mysterious sometimes. We always think that painful ways are wrong ways. But God’s logic is different…

Why the cross? Couldn’t God find other ways to save us? Why choose the suffering?
God’s plan was the salvation of whole humanity. To do so he had to go where we were: far from him, denying him, choosing other idols. In Adam men became sinners – and God sent us One redeemer. Jesus took on his shoulders all our sins, all our sufferings, all our pain. There is no suffering he didn’t go through. He suffered both: extreme physical and spiritual pain. Through Him and in Him all our sufferings are redeemed. How could God show us a bigger love and reach out to all human beings?

But what does it change? What is our answer to such love? St Paul says it in his letter to the Romans: To offer our lives to God, let ourselves be renewed by him and “discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
It is that what Jesus showed us with his life: he was obedient to God’s will and didn’t stop when things became more difficult, but was ready to give His life for us. God wants us to use our gifts and talents but to be aware that we have received them to serve Him. Just last Sunday Jesus saw a lot of energy in Peter and he made him ‘rock’, leader of the Church. Today he is treating him like a child who didn’t understand anything.

I find this story very consoling. When I decided to continue my ministry I tried not to do things by myself anymore, but to ‘go behind God’ to follow him with everything I do. To use my talents – yes, but to co-operate with God; to ‘play on His team’. For example, instead of planning more and more activities, I started praying more: for the people entrusted to me and for those working with me. And I can tell you that things really changed. Maybe because I could let go, others started to take over, be more engaged and active. And many things I’ve always fought for, just ‘happened’. I found new joy and peace in my service. I realized I had a good ‘teammate’ with me.

Some times things are not ‘fair’. There is no redemption without suffering. And as Christ’s disciples we are called to take our cross, follow him and do God’s will, play His game. But what’s the game? “There is no greater love than giving your life for your friends.” As disciples of Christ we are called to do exactly what he did and be signs of His love for our neighbors and all people we meet throughout the day. Christ gave his life for each one of them. Most probably we are not supposed to die physically, but we can give a word, give our time, give our friendship, give forgiveness and mercy. We can give ourselves to God in every neighbor and be in that way an instrument of God’s salvation for the world.

Birgit Oberhofer