Discerning the Will of God in Our Lives

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 28, 2026

Readings: Jeremiah 20:7–9; Psalm 63:2–6, 8–9; Romans 12:1–2; Matthew 16:21–27

The question that always remains with us is whom to follow, which ideology to imbibe, who the trustworthy people are in our circles, and how we can navigate the complexities of the world and still fix our gaze on our God. There are many pulls from every side. Every ideology and direction that we take seems to be right. In this context, we have the awesome readings on this 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Each one is inviting us to look into the deeper reality of life and look at God, who gives us that direction and roadmap.

1. We can believe in Jesus and still misunderstand Him

Last week's Gospel gave us an astonishing answer from Peter to Jesus' question: "Who do people say I am? "The answer was straightforward: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." With this, Jesus bestowed upon Peter the role of leader of the Church. The very next scene follows this week. Unfortunately, not the nicest one, as Peter tells Jesus that all the suffering and death that he might be going through should be stopped at any cost. Peter believes that he must protect Jesus and is ready to thwart any attempt on Jesus. However, in the mind of Jesus, Peter goes wrong here. 

Peter is not wicked. He is a loyal, loving friend of Jesus. He cannot accept a future which is not bright. For him, defeat cannot be tolerated. However, Jesus, being a bit harsh, rebukes Peter for his answer. In fact, Jesus invites Peter to think like God and not as a human being. In fact, he had done this earlier. But now, he has lost track of that. Even in our lives, when good things happen to us, we are all in praise and seem that everything is perfectly fine. But storms of life come, and we shake terribly. We misunderstand God in such moments. 

2. Following Jesus has its cost

Following Jesus means allowing ourselves to be enveloped by his grace. It means being ready to walk in his footsteps. It means denying oneself privileges and protocols. It is to enter into the vision of Jesus. It is to suffer for the sake of righteousness. It is to enter into a different logic, a logic which is different from the world. The Son of God is not saying suffering is good and pain has to be glorified. It means that there is meaning in suffering and pain when you suffer for the sake of good and righteousness. 

Very interestingly, Jesus doesn't walk away from Peter after this. He keeps him, forms him, eventually builds the Church on him anyway. The rebuke is part of the relationship, not the end of it. Whatever cross we're avoiding or resisting this week, we're not asked to pick it up alone — we're asked to follow someone who has already gone ahead of us, and who has never stopped calling us back when we've lost our way.

3. God's Will in our Lives

Jesus gives us a paradoxical question: “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world?” This is the most searching question in the Gospel. We live in a culture that constantly tells us to accumulate: more money, more influence, more followers, more achievements, more recognition, more likes, etc. 

But Jesus asks us to measure life differently. What if we achieve everything we wanted but lose our peace? What if we become successful but lose our relationships? What if we gain influence but lose our integrity? The Gospel reminds us that success without the soul is ultimately failure. This is the heart of Christian discipleship: we discover our true selves not by endlessly protecting the self, but by giving ourselves away in love.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, teach me to follow You, not merely admire You. Give me the courage to carry the crosses that love places before me. Free me from the desire for comfort, recognition and control. Help me to think not merely as the world thinks, but as God thinks. When I am tempted to protect myself at the cost of love, give me the courage to surrender. When the road becomes difficult, help me remember that the Cross is not the end of the story. Teach me to lose myself in love so that I may discover the life You have prepared for me. I make this prayer in Jesus' Holy Name. Amen.

- Fr Olvin Veigas, SJ

E-mail: olvinveigas@jesuits.net

Blog: Celebrate Faith

Video: YouTube

28 August 2026