YOU ARE THE CHRIST
Introduction
God makes a provisional covenant with people. Von Rad calls this the beginning of the patience of God. Life belongs to him too, for people can take the life of animals for their food provided the sign of life, blood, is drained from them, but the life of fellow human beings cannot be taken without punishment.
The Gospel tells us today that Jesus asked his disciples one day who they thought he was, and Peter said: You are the Christ, that is, the promised Saviour. But when Jesus told them, he would save people by his suffering and death before his resurrection, Peter protested. He could not accept a suffering Lord. For us too, it is hard to accept pain and contradiction. We grumble and protest: “Why me?” But, we have to learn from Jesus that pain and hardship is part of life, and often the way to life and joy. People who have suffered for others understand what love means.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
to meet hardship and suffering
caused by others or for the sake of others
is often hard to take.
We complain and it shakes our trust.
Help us to accept suffering
as a part of life and a way to grow
and if we do not understand its mystery,
help us to bear it for others,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen!
1 Reading – GENESIS 9:1-13
God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon all the creatures that move about on the ground and all the fishes of the sea; into your power they are delivered. Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green plants. Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat. For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from one man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for human life. If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; For in the image of God has man been made. Be fertile, then, and multiply; abound on earth and subdue it.” God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.” God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Responsorial PSALM 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23
R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer. R.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.” R.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. R.
Alleluia Cf. JOHN 6:63c, 68c
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MARK 8:27-33
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.”
Commentary
Define the Jesus that you have experienced
Several times in the Gospel, we read that the crowds and the disciples have put the question about Jesus: “Who is this?” With today’s passage, Mark intends to reveal the mystery and answer the question on everyone’s mind. The episode is set in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, the city of Philip, one of the sons of Herod the Great.
Jesus poses two questions to his disciples: “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” The first was about the ‘hear-says.’ But for the second, Jesus does not agree that his disciples should answer the questions with pre-packaged formulas because a faith that is reduced to a formula is a short-sighted faith. Each person is called to respond in their heart, allowing oneself to be illuminated by the light that the Father gives us to know his Son, Jesus.
Peter surprised everyone and declared – “You are the Messiah.” The answer was perfect, but the only difference was about the type of messiah that Peter had in mind. He expects a mighty ruler like David who would rule the world from the land of Palestine.
Mark wrote his Gospel for the Christians of Rome to invite them to evaluate the reasons that led them to believe in Jesus. The misconception into which Peter and the other eleven had fallen was always looming over all Christian communities. The professions of faith can be impeccable, but the important question that requires an answer is: what reasons do you hold for professing your faith? Is it to escape from pains and suffering, for success in business or for social status and acceptance? If so, listen to Jesus telling you and me, “Get behind me, Satan!”
The Messiah of Jesus is bound to fail in the eyes of the world. He does not go to Jerusalem to scare off his enemies but to offer his own life. That would be a huge disappointment for the disciples. It’s not for this that they left the house, the boat, and the family and followed the Master.
That is why Peter confronts Jesus, protesting on behalf of everyone. Peter does not want to commit to an absurd project that leads to failure, where the Master will be killed. This could be our own reaction too. It is challenging to present ourselves as failures before the world. We always want to win.
Jesus’ response to Peter is harsh: “Get behind me, Satan!” (v. 33). His words do not mean “Go away!” Rather, if you are in the front, you could lose track of your plan for your life because you are driven by your desire for success. But “Come behind me,” stay with me while I lead you on the right path.
Intentions
– For the Church, that it may not be ashamed of preaching the crucified Christ and of being self-effacing with him, we pray:
– For the stragglers in life, for the little people “who do not count,” that they may not be trampled underfoot by the high and the mighty, we pray:
– For those not adapted to life, for those whose ideas or conduct we do not share, that we may respect them and have a heart and a place for them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist, we remember
the forgiveness and life
brought us by your Son in pain and death.
May we follow him not only
on his way to happiness and joy,
but also, when necessary,
on his way to the cross,
that we may live with him for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
you have spoken to us in this Eucharist,
words of encouragement
and you have made us strong
with the bread of life of your Son.
Let him stay with us on the journey of life
not only on days of joy,
but also in dark moments,
when our bodies ache
or our hearts are wounded,
and help us to bring to each other
consolation and hope,
on account of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Peter protested against the suffering that would mark the life and death, the saving act, of Jesus. We also protest at times, for suffering hurts. Yet, we are followers of Christ. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!