Referring to Matthew 16:13-20, Fr. Jonas talks about how growth comes from leaning into discomfort at the 4 p.m. Mass at the St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center in Boston on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.

Text of the homily

How do we react to discomfort?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus provokes it by predicting his death. Peter replies, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He tries to protect the widespread belief of the Messiah overthrowing Roman rule.

Even when Jesus reprimands him, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do,” He loves Peter and wants to remove those attitudes that hinder following Him. Jesus thus disturbs us to heal us.

Growth does come from discomfort. Yet how often do we avoid discomfort?

When we stay inside our comfort zone, we never grow. In the movie “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, sticks to his routine of crime-fighting and visits to the grave of Aunt Mae. He thinks he is protecting his friends, but he isolates himself. How often do we medicate our discomfort, stress or sadness with work, food, drink or Internet? Deep down, we are isolated, avoiding the true problem.

However, the opposite is true when we charge way beyond our comfort zone. In the Spider-Man movie, the antihero, the Punisher, pursues vigilante justice. He tells Spider-Man that his life is a death sentence of loneliness because of unresolved grief. Like the Punisher, we often mask pain and insecurity with anger and bravado. For example, we lash out at our loved ones with a reaction out of proportion to a situation. That indicates hidden issues that we are uneasy dealing with.

Growth happens at the edge of our comfort zone. Where is that edge? It is when we condition our desires with the word “but.” In the movie, Peter Parker could say, “I want to be with my friends, but I might lose them.”

A fitness expert says that growth happens when we do exercises one notch or two above our capability because it forces us to focus. We thus recognize our weaknesses, make progress and thus expand our comfort zone.

When Jesus says, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me,” He also wants us to be at the edge of our comfort zone, to be present to Him, to make one step toward love and mercy, and to expand our hearts. Those actions require vulnerability, awareness and choice.

At moments of discomfort, we can run away or stay put and lean into it. Peter Parker grows and wins in the Spider-Man movie when he must face his discomfort, be vulnerable, and reveal and accept the truth. Even the Punisher can shed a tear. Doing likewise, we, like Peter Parker, find love, empathy and community when we spend time with friends or volunteer at the parish or a soup kitchen.

In the end, it is OK to feel uncomfortable. Jesus loves us and asks us to take one step outside our comfort zone toward vulnerability and love. We can bear that cross of unease because Jesus carries us. Just as Spider-Man tells Mary Jane (MJ), Jesus tells us, “Trust me.” United with Him in joy and pain, our hearts, our lives and our communities grow.