"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me." (Mt 16:23)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah
Jer 31:31-34
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers:
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 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."
THURSDAY OF THE EIGHTEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME - Mt 16:13-23
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Gospel God reveals the fact that Saint Peter prevented Jesus from going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. The idea came from Satan. God also asks each person the question: "But who do you say that I am?"
Each person has a soul that must face God. This is not waiting for the moment when He calls them out of this world, but right now, people must face God about their choices. Whoever knows how to choose God as the Savior, the One who has the power and strength to save their soul, then follow Him, honor and worship Him, do everything according to His teachings, then they will have eternal life with God the Father in Heaven. To achieve that is not by human strength alone, but by the grace and spiritual influence of the Holy Spirit, enlightening the mind and opening the heart so that people can recognize God as a loving Father, the Savior who came to earth to become a human being to save people from the captivity of Satan.
Today's Word of God also teaches people through the image of Saint Peter preventing Jesus from going to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise again to save humanity. Was Saint Peter's prevention from God's will? No! It was because Satan entered Saint Peter to block Jesus' path of suffering and death. Saint Peter was a mortal, so he thought and acted according to human thinking: to prevent God, not wanting Jesus to die. God rebuked Saint Peter: "Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." He also said: it was Satan's idea to prevent His disciples from walking on the path of suffering.
The Word of God also warns everyone: whoever wants to follow God must also suffer, be persecuted, be humiliated, be condemned, and carry His cross up to Calvary every day with God to defeat Satan. But if anyone chooses to follow the path of the world to seek glory, wealth, fame, and pleasure in this life, that is not the path Jesus took.
Therefore, the Word of God today calls His disciples:
- To be aware of Satan's temptations
- To discern what is God's will for each person to carry the cross and walk on the path following Him, and what is Satan's intention in tempting people to follow the path of the world, which is money, status, and fame.
- Ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit so that He can guide each person to walk on the path of the cross that Jesus walked.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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