The 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings
Reflection
“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Words from the gospel this weekend. Interesting. Striking. Thought–provoking. But then I ask myself how else am I supposed to think? After all I am human. I can’t help it. I was born this way. Am I really supposed to think as God does as Jesus is implying? If so, what exactly does that mean?
We say in the Lord’s Prayer “…thy will be done…” That means God knows better than we do and that should be obvious to anyone with faith. We can get a little bit of insight as to how God thinks if we read
scripture. From Genesis to Revelation God speaks directly and indirectly to us. All scripture is inspired by God and like the title of a 1950’s TV show, “Father knows best.” God, our Father, does know best. We may not like it but God does know better than we do. I know there are times when I think I know better than God. And those are the times when I temporarily forget about God in my life. Or because I know what God wants me to do but it’s just too hard sometimes and then, of course, I know better (but I really don’t). In today’s gospel, Peter rebuked Jesus when he predicted he would suffer and die. But Peter’s words, as full of faith as they may be, showed he lacked the understanding of what he was saying. He wanted to stop the plan of salvation that was in motion. Peter thought he knew better than Jesus.
Luckily for all of us perfection is not a prerequisite for being a follower and evangelizer for Jesus. To have faith in God, follow Jesus’ words and especially act on the faith we have is how we demonstrate our faith to others. And we do all these things because we know who Jesus is.
To think about….
Who is Jesus to you? Make a list of all the things you know about him, his qualities and how he acts in your life. How can you be more like him in your life?
