Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this
to you, but my Father in heaven. And now I say to you: You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build my Church;
and never will the powers of death overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone
that hewas the Christ.
From that day, Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem; that he would suffer
many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the law; and that he would be killed
and be raised on the third day.
Then Peter took him aside and began to reproach him, “Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to you!” But he
turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path. You are thinking not as God does
, but as people do.”
Reflection:
Peter’s declaration of faith in Christ came as a revelation from the Father, as Jesus points out to him. However, did he
comprehend what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God? The latter events tell us that Peter
had no idea. If he had, he would not have played “Satan” and opposed the plan of God. It is one thing to receive a
revelation; yet another to receive the grace of understanding and living the same. How many times we toss around phrases
such as: “Jesus is my Lord and Savior” and “I believe in God”; but do they translate into flesh and blood in our lives? If Jesus
is the Lord and Savior, how willing are we to let this Lord take the reins of our lives and lead it wherever he wishes? Does
our faith suffer from a schizophrenic split between what we proclaim in the Creed and how we live our lives?
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