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We are given very powerful readings today,
\npowerful individually and powerful collectively.
\nAnd at the heart of them all is a line by St. Paul
\nin his letter to the Romans:
\n\u201c\u2026be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
\nthat you may discern what is the will of God,
\nwhat is good and pleasing and perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
So today we\u2019re given three challenges:
\ntransformation, renewal, and discernment.<\/p>\n
First Paul says, be transformed.
\nThis is what Jesus is trying to help Peter do in today\u2019s Gospel.
\nWhen Jesus explains what it means to be the Messiah
\n\u2014 that it means suffering, death, and resurrection \u2014
\nPeter rebukes him.
\nThe fisherman rebukes the Messiah!
\nPeter is stuck thinking as human beings do,
\nnot as God does.
\nAnd Peter is arrogant enough to think
\nthat he needs to correct Jesus, the Christ.
\nIn reality, Peter is an obstacle to Jesus.
\nIn that moment, in fact, he\u2019s just as much an obstacle as Satan.<\/p>\n
But Jesus is patient with Peter,
\nhe wants Peter to be transformed.
\nHe wants what\u2019s best for him. He cares for him. He loves him.
\nPeter has been raised to believe certain things about the Messiah,
\nthings that don\u2019t match with what he is hearing from Jesus.
\nSo Jesus wants Peter to grow in his understanding
\nof what it means to follow him.
\nJesus wants us, too, to grow in our understanding
\nof what it means to be a disciple.
\nHe wants what\u2019s best for us. He cares for us. He loves us.
\nWe can misunderstand and distort the gospel
\nbecause of how we were raised,
\nor because of what we read or see on social media,
\nacross the spectrum of ideologies.
\nLike Peter, we can be tempted to arrogance ourselves,
\nthinking we have the correct answer,
\nthat we know what God wants,
\nand that everyone else needs to conform
\nto our way of thinking about God \u2014 even the Pope!
\nBut when we do that,
\nwe become obstacles to to Jesus,
\nthinking not as God does, but as human beings do.
\nAnd we\u2019re not only obstacles to Jesus,
\nbut we\u2019re obstacles to other people\u2019s relationship with Jesus.
\nSo the challenge for us is to let ourselves be transformed by Christ,
\njust as Peter was transformed.
\nThink of all those whose lives were transformed by Christ:
\nMary Magdalene, Matthew the tax collector, Nicodemus the Pharisee, etc.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s challenging to be transformed,
\nbecause transformation means change,
\nand change is always frightening,
\nIt means leaving our comfort zone.
\nIt means temporary confusion and instability
\nas we hover between our old self and our transformed self.
\nAnd transformation is a lifelong process,
\nso that means being uncomfortable over and over again.
\nWe would much rather stay where we are than risk transformation.
\nThere\u2019s security in remaining where we are,
\nbut there is also stagnation and death.
\nIt\u2019s the difference between being a living lake or a stagnant pond.<\/p>\n
Lakes benefit from water constantly coming in and going out,
\na steady exchange that brings life.
\nLakes are blue and fresh and filled with life.
\nStagnant ponds, on the other hand,
\nhave no life, no color, and they\u2019re filled with the stench of decay.
\nThat\u2019s because there is no exchange of water,
\nthe water just sits there still and unmoving.
\nThere is no renewal.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s our second challenge,
\nto be transformed by the renewal of our mind.
\nRenewal is walking in the newness of life in Christ.
\nIt\u2019s a constant exchange
\nbetween ourselves and the living water of Christ.
\nAs we prayed in today\u2019s psalm,
\n\u201cMy soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our soul thirst for Jesus, the living water.
\nRenewal is a steady drinking of the living water of Christ,
\nand then allowing it to flow out of ourselves
\nto others in the world around us,
\nthrough conversation, generosity, kindness, genuine relationship.
\nIt is a constant flow, back and forth,
\nthat sustains us in the life of the Spirit.<\/p>\n
Today we are challenged to ask ourselves,
\nHow regularly are we drinking from the well of the living water of Christ?
\nHow open are we to the flow of the Holy Spirit within us and through us?
\nAre we making time each day to be with and aware of God,
\nmaking sure we are listening and not just speaking?
\nOr have we become stagnant in our faith?
\nRenewal is a constant process,
\na steady exchange between ourselves, the Holy Spirit,
\nand the world around us.
\nIt is a lifelong task, as we can see from the life of St. Peter.<\/p>\n
Peter was constantly in need of transformation and renewal.
\nWe\u2019ve already seen that in today\u2019s gospel.
\nLater, in the Acts of the Apostles, after Jesus\u2019 resurrection and ascension,
\nPeter needs transformation and renewal again.
\nThe question comes up
\nabout whether the Gentiles need to be circumcised
\nin order to be disciples.
\nPeter thinks that they do,
\nbut through a gathering of Church leaders at the Council of Jerusalem,
\nby listening to St. Paul, and especially by listening to the Holy Spirit,
\nPeter comes to a renewed understanding of God\u2019s will,
\nand he was better able to discern what was \u201cgood, pleasing, and perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
We see this kind of renewal and transformation in the Church
\nthrough gatherings like the Second Vatican Council
\nand the current Synod gathering about to take place in October.
\nGatherings like these open the Church to the working of the Holy Spirit,
\nand make transformation and renewal possible
\nso that, like St. Peter, the Church can discern God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n
And discernment is the third challenge we hear
\nfrom Paul\u2019s letter to the Romans.<\/p>\n
Peter was able to discern the will of God about the Gentiles
\nbecause he was transformed by the renewal of his mind.
\nPaul, too, underwent tremendous transformation and renewal
\nafter encountering Christ on the road to Damascus.
\nPaul went from persecuting Christians
\nto becoming one of Christianity\u2019s greatest evangelizers.
\nAt first, Paul was an obstacle to faith
\nwho thought he had it all figured out.
\nHe needed transformation and renewal
\nin order to better discern God\u2019s will for him and for God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
So often we think we know what God wants
\nbefore we do the necessary work of transformation and renewal.
\nPeter rebuked Jesus, Paul persecuted Christians.<\/p>\n
There is a lot of rebuking and persecuting going on today,
\nand precious little discernment.
\nWe have become obstacles to Christ
\nby our lack of transformation and renewal.<\/p>\n
Today we are challenged to examine our lives,
\nlooking for those places where we are stagnant,
\nand where we think like human beings, rather than God.<\/p>\n
We are blessed to have St. Peter as our parish patron.
\nNot only for the times he got things right,
\nbut also for the times he got things wrong.
\nLike Peter, we don\u2019t always get it right.
\nLike Peter, we are sometimes obstacles to Jesus.
\nBut, like Peter, we can change.
\nWe can be transformed and renewed.
\nEach time we enter this church,
\nwe need to remember our need for renewal,
\nour call to be transformed.
\nAnd we can also remember
\nthat Jesus is patient with us,
\nas he was with Peter.
\nJesus offers us living water for our thirsty souls,
\ntransforming us from stagnant ponds into living lakes,
\nand renewing us in mind,
\nso we can better discern God\u2019s will,
\nwhat is good, pleasing and perfect.<\/p>\n