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.”
The word of the Lord
The Other Stone.
We are very clear that Christ gave His life on the cross out of Love for us. He taught us to love to the extreme in His own flesh. But it is very difficult for us to accept that we have to do the same.
When situations arise in our daily lives that require giving, renouncing, and/or sacrificing, the devil whispers in our ear: He was God, you don’t have to put up with this… “Get away from me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me…”
The same stone (Peter) that a few minutes before was the support of the Church, suddenly becomes a stumbling block for the Lord. Unfortunately, many followers of Jesus could be stumbling blocks for married couples with issues as to avoid suffering in their marital relationship, can advise not to suffer any longer and to separate or seek an annulment.
Whether we like it or not, we were created to give our lives, and the sooner we accept and discover the greatness of the person who does so, the sooner we will begin to live a full life. Then you will hear the Lord say to you: Blessed are you, because that was revealed to you by my Father who is in heaven and you have accepted it.
Applied to Married Life:
Lorenzo: What has conversion meant for you?
Ana: For me, it has meant a total transformation. What I used to see as a drag, like prayer, now excites me; it’s a whole experience. On the other hand, what used to excite me, like knowing I was attractive to others, now I don’t understand how I ever needed it so much to feel secure about myself.
And for you, what has conversion meant?
Lorenzo: Just like you, a radical change in my life and my desires. I’ll give you an example: I didn’t like when you used to tell me what I had to do, but now I highly value mutual obedience. I believe our salvation depends on it, just as the salvation of the world depended precisely on the obedience of Jesus. These are difficult things, but later you discover their true value.
Ana: Certainly, they are not easy to understand. You have to live it to recognise it.
Lorenzo: The Lord shows us this in the Gospel.
Mother,
It is very difficult for us to stop thinking like men and start thinking like God. You know we are full of weaknesses, quirks, and whims. You know we seek immediate results… Mother, protect and guide us so that we build a holy marriage; this is our only desire. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.