Dear Friends,
Every blessing to you and yours on this Labor Day weekend, as summertime activities draw to an end and the hustle and bustle of Fall commands our attention. Holy Cross Regional begins classes this Wednesday. I know several other local schools have already begun classes. May God bless our teachers and students with every gift of the Holy Spirit for a fruitful year of study and growth.
Our Gospel passage this weekend follows directly from last weekend’s Gospel. Last weekend, Jesus asked the question, “…who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And then Jesus told him that He would build His church on this rock and gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. This weekend, Jesus speaks about His Passion and death. Peter wants to spare the Lord such suffering. But Jesus rebukes him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
In a few short verses of Matthew’s Gospel, Peter goes from being the rock to being called Satan. A harsh rebuke from Jesus. But Jesus is firmly re-orienting Peter’s (and our) thinking from the human perspective to the Divine perspective. Jesus is undergoing the Passion and crucifixion out of obedience to the Father and out of love for each of us. He willingly goes into the depths of sin, depravity, suffering, injustice, evil to effect redemption, to bring about reconciliation and healing. And He can accomplish this because He is God made man!
Jesus also shares with us the requirement for discipleship, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, - take up his cross, and follow me.” And the reason to be His disciple, to do as He says? So that we might have life, everlasting life, the fulness of life. In and through Jesus, we share the victory over sin, over death. By His grace, we become partakers of Divine Life, here and now, and then in the glory of heaven. Through the Sacraments, we access Divine power and nurture the Divine Life freely given to us.
God is crazy in love with each and everyone of us. Look at all that He has done and continues to do for us. Accept His love, forgiveness, mercy, healing through your prayer, sacrifice, and receiving His Sacraments frequently. Jesus promises, “…For my yoke is easy, and my burden light!”
And what an amazing opportunity to come and spend some quiet time with Jesus during our Forty Hours devotions beginning next Sunday through Tuesday. Make a date with Jesus and sign up for a specific time on the Sign-up Board in the narthex.
God bless you, God love you,
Monsignor McCulken
