Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 16: 24-28

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope in May of this year, he took the name of Leo. I was surprised to learn that Leo spent a good portion of his priestly ministry as a missionary in Peru.

He first arrived there the year I was born – back in 1985, landing on the heels of devastating El Niño rains that washed away a number of locals and their poorly constructed homes. 

Leo’s first task was to minister in a disaster area. Life for him didn’t get much better, at least in terms of worldly comforts, as a few years thereafter, Peru endured a bloody civil war with separatists. Yet, in the face of floods and violence, he stayed the path; Leo loved and served his flock.

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When we hear about stories like his – people who do heroic things with their lives, often over many years – it’s easy to not only admire their courage, but also to wonder, “Why?”

Why be ordained a priest? Why leave the comforts of America to live among the poorest of the poor? Why stay in a war zone when you have a way out? 

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Such are the feelings of Saint Peter when Jesus tells him that they are headed to Jerusalem in order for the Son of Man to suffer, die, and be raised. Peter forgets that last part of the plan; he focuses on the suffering and death part, instead.

Peter wants a safe Jesus; a comfortable Jesus; a way for Christ to be his Lord – and for Peter to be his disciple – without having to walk the road of suffering. 

This initiates Christ’s response in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

The Lord does not want us to die. He wants us to live! 

But fear of death always turns into a fear of life. 

Fear can freeze us into a comfortable existence whereby we can lose meaning and opportunities that God has in store for us – think no further than Pope Leo. Had he succumbed to fear, then he never would’ve become a priest, a missionary, or now pope!

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Perhaps taking up our cross means letting go of our fears, too – the fear of losing control; the fear of suffering; the fear of death, so that God can strengthen us to truly live – not only in the here and now, but also in the life to come.

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Image credits: (1) Faith Radio (2) Pope Leo, Wikipedia (3) Isabella Mader, X

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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 Peter 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 leap 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 until the year 64 AD, when the crazed 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 those same 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 final request: to turn him upside down. There, in the heart of Rome, in the center of worldly power, Peter sees the world like his Master did – topsy turvy, upside down, right-side up. 

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Those feet that once accepted the call to “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 life. He fought the good fight. He ran the race to the finish. He kept the faith. 

Using my own two feet, how might I follow the Lord, like Peter did, today?

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Image credits: (1) GlensReflections.com (2) Christ Giving Peter the Keys to the Kingdom, Perugino (3) First Walkers

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Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James 
and went up a mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance 
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, 
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus 
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, 
but becoming fully awake, 
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, 
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking, 
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, 
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time 
tell anyone what they had seen.
 

The Gospel of the Lord.

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God the Father only speaks twice in the Gospels. 

The first moment comes at Christ’s baptism.

Jesus is plunged into the Jordan River by John. Upon being drawn out of that watery tomb, the heavens are opened as the Spirit descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove.

Suddenly, the Father proclaims from the heavens, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

No other word is spoken from heaven until the Transfiguration, which we hear in today’s Gospel.

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Jesus leads his inner circle – Peter, James, and John – up a high mountain, where his clothes become dazzling white. The disciples stare in wonder as Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah, two prophets from the Old Testament. 

Suddenly, the Father appears again in a cloud, repeating the words he spoke at Christ’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Then the Father disappears, never to speak again, leaving Jesus alone with his disciples.

Why does the Father say nothing else? And why does he only appear at these two events in Christ’s earthly life?

To affirm two truths: Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore, he speaks on his Father’s behalf. Whatever truths God wants to share with creation come from the mouth of the Lord.

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“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

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To “listen” to Jesus not only means to hear his voice, but also to obey what he says. Doing so assures us a share in his divine life, which we receive a glimpse of today. 

How do we make time to listen to the voice of the Lord? In what ways do we act on it?

May the words of the prophet Samuel become a daily mantra for us: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

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Image credits: (1) Ron Lach, Pexels (2) Transfiguration of the Lord, Carl Bloch (3) Jesus Rocks Ministry