The Call to Let Christ Lead
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Sunday, August 30, 2026The Call to Let Christ Lead22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
After Peter professes his faith in Jesus, the Lord tells His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and be raised. Peter cannot accept it.
Peter knows who Jesus is, but he still wants to tell Jesus which road He should take. Jesus responds, “Get behind Me.” That is where a disciple belongs—behind Christ, allowing Him to lead.
There are times when we understand Peter. Life takes a road we never expected. An illness comes, someone we love is hurting, a prayer seems unanswered. We find ourselves saying, “Lord, this is not how it was supposed to happen.”
But before Jesus speaks about our cross, He speaks about His Cross. Before He asks us to give our lives, He tells us that He will give His life for us.
Christ never asks us to walk a road He has not first walked Himself. Through His Cross and Resurrection, even suffering and death no longer have the final word. The One who says, “Follow Me,” is the risen Christ.
And so, taking up our cross means entrusting our lives to Him and allowing His self-giving love to shape the way we live.
We may not know the whole road ahead. But we know the One we are following.
Fr. Paul