God's word in the Bible can be difficult – both for those who heard it when he spoke to them and for we who hear his Word today. In today’s first reading, the prophet Jeremiah addresses God strongly. He complains that his calling as a preacher is too overwhelming and gets him into trouble – and yet he cannot help but speak God’s word to others. As he says, when he does not speak God’s message, it becomes like fire burning in [his] heart, so he must share it with others.

We know that Jesus speaks challenging words throughout the New Testament. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus explains to his disciples how he will suffer death, be buried, and then rise again on the third day. Peter is baffled by these predicted events. He cannot help but protest, God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you. Peter’s reaction reveals his affection for our Lord and his attachment to human understanding. As Jesus explains in reply, You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.

So it is for the faithful today. It is easy to be attached to finite understanding – but God has a bigger vision for the lives of those who love him. In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to think as God does and live beyond human understanding.

When speaking to his disciples, Jesus explains that those who wish to come after him must live in ways that are difficult: 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 will find it. In today’s second reading in Romans, the Apostle Paul renews this call, urging the faithful to give of themselves fully – body, mind, and spirit – in worship of God.

Paul’s Letter to the Romans and the Gospel focus on this idea of sacrifice, or self-gift. All Christians are called to give of themselves to God in love, and in a way that resembles God’s love. In many ways, God’s love for humankind – perfectly embodied in Christ – surpasses human understanding. This love, referred to in the Greek as agape, is that sacrificial and self-giving stance that Jesus and Paul speak of. Agapic love may be challenging – but as Christ’s life shows, it is a true gift to the world.

In our lives, we may find that the path God calls us to surpasses our understanding. As we come to this Eucharist, let us ask our Lord for the grace to hear and answer his call to offer ourselves in love – even if that call challenges us in ways we are not expecting.

(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, Aug. 30, 2026)