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Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-23
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
and he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
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 Jesus 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.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Peter first met Jesus on the shores of Galilee. He must’ve felt quite special when the Lord looked at him and said, “Follow me.” Notice Jesus appealed to Peter’s feet, not to his mind, which too often got in the way.
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Sometime thereafter, Peter and the other disciples find themselves drifting aimlessly in a storm on the same Sea of Galilee. Mysteriously, the Lord appears and invites Peter, once again, to follow him.
Stepping out of the boat, Peter uses his feet to walk on water. It isn’t until his mind starts racing that he begins to sink.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” All remain silent, except Peter, who steps forward, proclaiming, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Because of this giant step of faith, Peter receives the keys to the kingdom.
The Lord then washes Peter’s feet as a final act of love at the Last Supper before he himself walks to Calvary.
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At Pentecost, Peter begins leading the Church on earth until the year 64, when the emperor Nero sets fire to Rome, placing the blame on Christians.
Fearing for his life, Peter flees the city…until the Lord appears to him, asking, Quo vadis? “Peter, where are you going?”
Resolved not to deny his Lord again, Peter uses his feet to turn his body around, leading him back into the burning city, where he is condemned to death by crucifixion.
Feeling unworthy of dying like his Lord, Peter asks his executioners for one final request: to turn him upside down.
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There, in the heart of Rome, in the center of worldly power, he sees the world like his Master did – topsy turvy, upside down, right-side up.
Those feet that once accepted the call, “Follow me,” have taken their final step.
Those same feet that sank fearfully into the Sea of Galilee are turned upward in hope, pointing to where his heart now belongs – the heavens.
There, on that awkward, quickly assembled cross, Peter preaches his final sermon – not with words, but with his feet. He fought the good fight. He ran the race to the finish. He kept the faith.
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Using my own two feet, how might I follow Jesus today?
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Image credits: (1) PickPik (2) Christ and Saint Peter, Scarsellino, Harvard Art Museums (3) The Magic of Footprints in Wet Sand, Wall Street Journal
