Accepting Christ, Accepting Suffering
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 Savior. 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.
Reading 1: 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: Ps 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. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
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. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
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. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
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
The scriptures speak of God’s relationship with his people as a covenant, a word that does not enjoy widespread use today. Its basic meaning is a “pact” or “agreement.” The Genesis reading today is our first meeting with a covenant in the scriptures. God initiates this agreement with Noah, his family, and every living creature. In it, he promises never again to destroy the world with flood waters. In most covenants there is usually some concomitant obligation placed upon the contracting party, in this case Noah and all living things. Here this is not the case. God alone is held to the terms of the agreement. The rainbow stands in the sky as the bridge between heaven and earth, a permanent reminder of the covenant.
The sacredness of human life is underscored with the strongly worded prohibition against homicide. The dignity of the human person is related to his being created in God’s image. Since life was seen as being in the blood, wanton bloodshed is forbidden. At this point, humans are no longer vegetarian but are permitted to eat animal flesh.
In today’s Gospel, Peter recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus makes a prediction about his own future. Peter fails to connect messiahship with suffering and death. Yet this is the preordained path that will bring about another and final covenant. It is the covenant in the blood of Jesus that brings us from death to life. It is solemnly commemorated in every Mass we attend.
The covenant that began with Noah and will pass through Abraham and Moses reaches its crowning point in the death and resurrection of Jesus. As we say in unison at the Eucharist, “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death Lord Jesus until you come in glory.”
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!