Last week, Jesus called Simon Peter “Blessed” and “this rock.” In the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 16:21-27), Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” What a contrast! Last week, Simon Peter proclaims his belief that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This week, Peter’s desire to protect Jesus from suffering and death makes him “an obstacle” to God’s plan for our salvation.
Faith and fear. We are called to live by faith and not by fear. Faith liberates and fear paralyzes. Simon Peter would go on to give his life for his Lord and Savior. Still, he would deny three times that he even knew Jesus. If we reflect on our lives, we find that faith and fear are in constant tension. We profess our faith in every Sunday Mass, yet can be afraid to live our faith boldly in our daily lives. It can be a fear of “offending”
others or fear of non-acceptance (by friends or co-workers).
Jesus, however, gives us the key. He tells His disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” By denying ourselves, we open up more room in our hearts for the grace of God. From this, we have the courage to put our faith into action and the wisdom to do so effectively. We become more inclined to live lives of loving service to God and neighbor.
Jesus says, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” May we always desire to think as God thinks.