The Cross and Your Charism: Living Out God’s Love
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Matthew 16:21-26
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me, because you are thinking not as God does but as human beings do.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “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. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?”
Grace Prayed For
This scripture passage prompts us to pray for the grace of radical surrender to God’s will, trusting completely in His divine plan even when it involves suffering or goes against our human understanding, and to courageously embrace our unique charisms to share His love with the world.
Reflection
This passage from Matthew 16 offers us a profound invitation to intimacy with Jesus, an intimacy born from radical surrender and unshakeable trust. Peter, in his human understanding, recoils from the idea of Jesus’ suffering and death. He loves Jesus, yes, but his love is still rooted in a worldly vision of triumph. Yet, Jesus’ response is sharp: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me, because you are thinking not as God does but as human beings do.” This isn’t a condemnation of Peter’s love, but a piercing call to reorient his heart, and ours, to God’s divine plan.
Jesus then lays out the path to true discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” This isn’t about self-punishment, but self-emptying – making room for God’s will to take precedence over our own desires, fears, and comfortable expectations. It’s in this “losing of our life” for His sake that we truly find it. This surrender isn’t passive; it’s an active, daily choice to embrace the unknowns, the challenges, and even the sufferings that come with following Christ, knowing that His love is our ultimate gain.
As we deepen this intimacy with Jesus, surrendering our will to His, we begin to uncover the unique gifts, or charisms, that the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us. These aren’t just for our personal growth, but are meant to be living expressions of God’s love flowing through us into the world. Perhaps your charism is hospitality, creating a welcoming space where others feel safe to encounter Christ. Maybe it’s wisdom, offering discernment and guidance in difficult situations. It could be service, compassion, teaching, or intercessory prayer. When we surrender our agenda and trust in God’s plan, these charisms naturally emerge, transforming our everyday encounters into opportunities for evangelization. Each smile, each listening ear, each word of encouragement, each act of kindness, becomes a reflection of the Trinitarian love residing within us, drawing others closer to the heart of God. To evangelize isn’t always to preach a sermon, but to live a life so saturated with Christ’s love that it overflows, illuminating every interaction with His presence.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post