It's not hard to figure out the meaning of the Scriptures today. It's very simple, not easy, but simple. That is that discipleship is very, very costly. There is no easy way to follow Christ and that is because to be a disciple means that we love God. If we love God we must love each other, love entails a commitment, and a commitment entails suffering and sacrifice. However, Peter didn't get it. It's humorous when we think of the Gospel from last week. "Who do people say that I am?" They all looked at him and Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said, "Oh, blessed are you Simon bar Jonah for no man has told you this. You are Peter." He made him the rock on which he built His church. A few sentences later, Jesus says, the Son of Man (referring to Himself) must suffer and be handed over and be killed and then He will rise again. Then Peter immediately rebukes Jesus. He says that God forbid that that should ever happen to you. Jesus becomes angry. He says, "Get behind me Satan". The word Satan means tempter. Peter was tempting Jesus to avoid the cross. Jesus was tempted. He never gave into the temptation but He felt them. He was enticed by them but He said "no" always. Now Peter goes from head of the class to class clown in just two sentences. That's why we love Peter. He reminds us of ourselves. At least he reminds me of myself. Peter understood messiah but he didn't really understand the kind of messiah that Isaiah talked about, the suffering servant messiah that Jesus was. Peter expected the messiah to kill his enemies, not be killed by them.

Jesus was always teaching and teaching that to follow Him, costs you your life. I remember when I was Vocation Director, as I worked with young men, and sometimes not so young men who wanted to be priests, I would say, "Look, we'll provide all your transportation allowances, your medical coverage; we'll provide your books; we'll pay all the fees in the seminary. The only thing you need to do, is give us your life." And boy, that's true. Give us your freedom. Christ asks the same thing of us as disciples. He asks us to submit to Him, His ways, as He submitted to the Father. It is our free choice. In that regard, we don't lose our freedom. At the same time, we voluntarily give our lives to Christ as His servants. Peter didn't get it. Now Jeremiah on the other hand, the great prophet, who had such a struggle through his life, Jeremiah did get it. He didn't like the deal. Early on when Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, to speak the words to the people of Jerusalem, that they must reform or the Babylonians would overrun them,. He had a hard message to sell for God. When he was given the role of prophet, his reaction was "No, I can't, I'm too young". God says, "Say not that you are too young. I will put words in your mouth." Jeremiah today is lamenting about his mission as a prophet. He is complaining to God. You know that to understand the Hebrew Scriptures, we have to remember they are Jewish. Indeed, to understand Jesus and His disciples we have to remember they're Jewish. Now, I was fortunate to grow up in New York City where there were many Jews. This morning I was thinking of when I worked for a guy who was a pharmacist, Max Grossman. He was like the grandfather I never had. I was 12 or 13 years old. I'd get a buck an hour to stock the shelves and dust and clean, and to deliver prescriptions on bicycle. That was New York City in the 50's. If your doctor had a prescription, he'd call it in and then some kid would be at your door 30 minutes later. We have come a long way, haven't we? You see people that are 100 years old at Smith's, hobbling to get their prescription. I loved Max and Max loved me but he was always complaining. "So how's it going Max?" "Oh, it's terrible. What, are you kidding? What a day. It's raining. Yuck. They call this summer?" Max left Germany in the 30's. He saw the Nazis coming and he got out. Everything was negative to him. He expressed his feelings in Yiddish. He taught me how to use foul language in Yiddish, which really confused my Irish-born mother. We had an interesting house. However, I learned something about Max, you could turn him around. He would always get very negative and then all you had to do was say or get negative. If I'd say to Max, "You know, I think I'll quit high school. You know this life." "What? are you crazy? Come sit down. We're talking now." "What a beautiful thing, America. You're lucky to live in America. You get a good education. I'm so happy." That was my little trick.

Now with that background, here is Jeremiah, "You duped me and I let you dupe me, I know". He's complaining to God. He says, "I'm suffering derision and reproach all day long. I say to myself, I'm not going to mention your name again." However, burning within him is the love of God and he cannot help but to speak the name of God. You know most of us, I think, are either like Peter or like Jeremiah. We don't understand or understand but don't like the deal. The deal that God offers us is eternal life but our contribution is our body, is our life, it is our totality. We want to give a little bit. We don't mind an hour a week. God forbid the Mass goes to be an hour and twenty. We don't want to give everything, our entire life. That is the cost of discipleship. That is what Jeremiah understood. That is what Paul understood in the second reading today, when he says, "Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice to God". Don't burn one year old lambs. Give me yourselves, your bodies, your lives, your hardships, offer that up.

Jesus said, "If you want to be my disciple, every day you must pick up your cross and follow me." The message is clear. And we need to understand that. We need to know the cost of discipleship. If we don't and if we will make a half-hearted effort, it's likely we won't be recognized when we need to be recognized as a disciple at the judgment. We want to bargain. We want to do it the easy way and it is not available on the cheap.

I'm going to read you a quote and every time I read this reflection on the cost of discipleship, I'm moved. I suspect you may be as well. It was written in the book called The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, also a German who left Germany before Hitler but returned because he felt he needed to speak out. He obviously knew what it would cost him. He was a Lutheran minister and he knew it would cost him his life and of course, it did. Bonhoeffer reflects on the easy way and the hard way. He calls it cheap grace and costly grace.

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance; baptism without Church discipline, communion without confession; absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cost, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciples leave their nets to follow Him. It is costly because it costs a man his life and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of His Son and what has cost God much cannot be cheap, cannot be cheap for us.

Peter finally got it right. He embraced his cross and was crucified as a martyr. Paul got it right too as he gave his head for Christ. I hope we all get it right as well.

I'd like to conclude with this prayer. You may have heard this as well. It was found in the vest pocket of a Confederate soldier who was killed during the Civil War. If you would bow your heads, I will pray this for all of us.

I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given sickness that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need for God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for. Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men most richly blessed.

And with this young soldier, we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.