Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
When Jesus prophesies his passion and death, what is Peter’s immediate response? “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” (Mt 16:22) However, Jesus lets Peter know what he is missing. “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mt 16:23) In the words of St. Paul, the problem is that Peter has “conformed himself to this age.” (Rom 12:2)
Jesus’ heart is filled with a deep, filial desire to let nothing get in the way of doing the Father’s will. It is this desire which drives him to Jerusalem to suffer for us. That is why our Lord finds Peter’s reproach so repulsive. Right before this prediction of his passion, Jesus praised Peter for receiving the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God. If there is any disciple who should be thinking like God at that moment it is St. Peter. Our confession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God is the bedrock of our life as Christians. However, we must build upon that foundation by daily seeking to know the Lord more deeply and showing our love for Him by what we do. This week let us ask God in prayer “Lord, show me how to take up my cross so that I might follow You.”