Sunday Gospel

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it.”

Mark 8:27-35

Get Behind Me, Satan! | Reflection On Jesus’ Words

Today’s Gospel reading relays the story of Jesus telling St. Peter to “get behind me Satan.”  This can be jarring to read, especially as it follows immediately after Matthew’s account of Jesus telling Peter that he is the rock upon which he will build his church! 

How is it that St. Peter can be both “Satan” and “Rock?” I think that we can all identify with having moments of triumph and moments of great weakness.  Sometimes they may even follow right after one another as they do here for Peter! 

There are some important lessons that we can learn from this Gospel and from Peter’s very human, relatable moments.  Firstly, we all have moments where we do the right thing, make good choices, and put God first.  Jesus celebrates one such moment when Peter is the first to recognize that he is the Messiah.  We should also celebrate our successes. 

Secondly, we all will also have moments of failure, like when Peter tries to stop Jesus from fulfilling his call to lay down his life for the world.  We too fall on our faces sometimes and make choices we regret.  And sometimes we too need the Lord to point out to us where those areas are for growth.  Peter took the correction of the Lord and went on to become St. Peter, our first pope.  His life shows us that even with many bumps along the road, it is possible for all of us to become saints.  He persevered through his weakness and trusted in the Lord to supply what he lacked.   When we feel discouraged about our own mistakes and weaknesses, let us remember the life of Peter.  

I leave you with this quote from Pope John XXIII. “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams.  Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.  Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but what it is still possible for you to do.”