Sunday 30th of August
“Get behind me, Satan!’
Matthew 16:21-27
What is our reaction to bad news, or when we are confronted with a reality or truth that is hard to believe or process? Perhaps, like Peter, we take the person aside and protest, argue, or object to what they said, hoping it is not true. To Peter’s protests, Jesus uses strong language: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Jesus would not be persuaded to turn away from doing God’s will, even by Peter’s genuine concern and pleading.
Jesus never shied away from the “cost” of doing God’s will, neither for himself nor for his disciples. He says, and not for the first time: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” The question is: Do we want to? It is a free choice, not by force or obligation, but freely and out of love. Today, let us ask Jesus for the grace to welcome his will into our lives.