Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 8, 27-35
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.”
Who are you?
1. Your question. At this time of year, I think it’s good that you ask yourself who you are. Look at yourself in the mirror and see who you are, look into your eyes and be honest with yourself. Who are you really? How long would it take to define yourself? It’s good to stop and think and see where you’re going. It’s also good to listen to what is said about you or to reflect on what you think they say about you, because you know how the saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Today you have an appointment with yourself!
2. What you have to accept. Clearly, after showing us who He is in the gospel, Jesus goes on to show us what He’s going to accept in his life: the cross. Today, you must embrace the reality that you have to go through, one step at a time. You must also accept that there will be crosses in your life, and you must know who you are and what you can depend on in your life. You are called to accept your family, your vocation, and your way of your life. Accepting your “crosses” means not victimizing yourself, not blaming others for the situations you face. Get down to work, look for a solution to what must be changed and don’t create a fantasy.
3) Peter. Peter’s victorious attitude is set aside. Peter’s thought can be yours and mine, seeking only success and comfort, believing that life is based only on victory and success. But Jesus teaches us that the key to life is to fall and get up, to fight it out every day and to put aside pride and selfishness to generously accept what life gives us because life itself is a surprise. You are called to be happy, but within the process of finding happiness there will be struggles and falls, but the good thing is that we know how the movie of your life ends, with victory!
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
