Adult Peer Pressure?

August 28, 2011
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jeremiah 20:7-9 - Jeremiah laments but cannot fail to speak in God's name.
Psalm 63:2-6,8-9 - Our souls yearn for God.
Romans 12:1-2 - Paul encourages the Romans to stay faithful to God.
Matthew 16:21-27 - Jesus speaks of his Passion and rebukes Peter for his objection.

At some point in my youth I had heard the term peer pressure until it became trite. "Peer pressure this... Peer pressure that... Avoid, avoid, avoid." Now that I'm an adult, those warnings seem warranted. More than a few of my poor college decisions were the result of peer pressure. Oops! Live and learn, I guess.

The readings this Sunday remind us that peer pressure doesn't end when we reach adulthood. Jeremiah laments that he, even when he tries to submit to the pressures of his society, cannot turn away from God. He says this about when he tries to repress of his desire to speak of God:

But the it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

The gospel portrays Peter pressuring Jesus to rise up against Israel. To fight against Roman oppression like the disciples thought he would. But Jesus rebukes Peter calling him "Satan" and reminding us that following God's ways are not easy, even our friends can steer us wrong.

Finally, the beautiful lines from Paul's Letter to the Romans reminds us that every generation will face peer pressure:

Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Today, when industrialization is killing our environment, people are starving throughout the world, and we don't think twice about the amount of polution created by eating a hunk of Argentinean beef, we must ask ourselves tough questions. How we conform to this age? How do we allow the pressures of society, government, peers, even (maybe especially) Church, to prevent us from being a living sacrifice, doing what is good and pleasing and perfect in God's sight?  Liberation Theology and Vatican II got it right, we must pay attention to "the signs of the times."  We must face adult peer pressure by recalling the burning fire in our bones for God, justice and love, and be transformed by renewing our minds.