Go behind me Satan
In Matthew 16, St Peter is blessed by Our Lord in verses 13 - 19. Then in verses 21 - 23, Jesus chides Peter, "Go behind me Satan," when Peter tries to dissuade Our Lord from going to Jerusalem to suffer and die.
Peter grasped the truth about Jesus when He said "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God." Yet he later refuses to accept Our Lord's chosen means of saving us when he says "Lord, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee." He denies the cross.
The cross is at the center of Christ's mission on earth. It must also be at the center of our lives. When we begin our work each day, we hopefully begin with a prayer. We acknowledge the sovereignty of God in our lives.
As we begin our work, we're not looking to suffer. Nor should we. But disappointments and frustrations come from time to time, even in the best jobs.
Perhaps our own work goes well, but we must deal with a difficult, unfriendly co-worker. Perhaps we don't think of this as "suffering," but it is a form of suffering. It is a cross to bear.
It would be unrealistic for most of us to ignore our little crosses, to never complain of them. But they are at the center of our life. We can't deny them. In fact, we ought to embrace them, tough as that might seem to be.
We're all blessed to have been born at a time and in a place where the truth of the Gospel is known and recognized. We've been taught our faith. We know that Jesus is the Christ. But we don't really want to always accept the cross. It's only natural.
But don't fret. It's been that way since St Peter and the apostles walked with Our Lord.
Peter grasped the truth about Jesus when He said "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God." Yet he later refuses to accept Our Lord's chosen means of saving us when he says "Lord, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee." He denies the cross.
The cross is at the center of Christ's mission on earth. It must also be at the center of our lives. When we begin our work each day, we hopefully begin with a prayer. We acknowledge the sovereignty of God in our lives.
As we begin our work, we're not looking to suffer. Nor should we. But disappointments and frustrations come from time to time, even in the best jobs.
Perhaps our own work goes well, but we must deal with a difficult, unfriendly co-worker. Perhaps we don't think of this as "suffering," but it is a form of suffering. It is a cross to bear.
It would be unrealistic for most of us to ignore our little crosses, to never complain of them. But they are at the center of our life. We can't deny them. In fact, we ought to embrace them, tough as that might seem to be.
We're all blessed to have been born at a time and in a place where the truth of the Gospel is known and recognized. We've been taught our faith. We know that Jesus is the Christ. But we don't really want to always accept the cross. It's only natural.
But don't fret. It's been that way since St Peter and the apostles walked with Our Lord.
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