Category: Uncategorized

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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

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Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Peter is understandably afraid. Until now, he’s only walked on land. Never would he have imagined walking on water, which could swallow him whole.

Still, the Lord dares Peter to step out of his comfort zone; to trust that Peter can do something new – something radical – with the Lord’s blessing.

We don’t know how far Peter walked, whether it was one foot or a thousand before the wind screamed loud enough and the waves reached high enough that he lost his newfound freedom and began to sink. 

But while he trusted Jesus, Peter was as light as a feather. When he reached his limit and fear filled his heart, he sank like lead.

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I wonder if any of the other disciples would’ve been inspired to follow Peter’s example, stepping out of the boat, had he stayed out on the water. 

Would they have surprised Jesus by their courage? Or could each of the disciples have walked on water with enough trust? 

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We’ve all stood on the edge of that proverbial boat before, knowing that Jesus is calling us to take a leap of faith.

Whether it’s an addict being invited to stand on the waters of sobriety.

A newly married couple being inspired to bring life into the world.

Or an otherwise ordinary day when, suddenly, we have an impulse to do something kind, beautiful, even BIG for God.

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Walking on land is boring in that sense. We all do it.

But those who put their trust in Christ can do so much more, for our God is the One, “whom even the winds and the sea obey.”

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Image credits: (1) Christ Walking on Water, Julius Sergius von Klever (2) Christ Walking on the Sea, Amédeé Verint (3) iStock