Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR, NOLA
Oh,
how quickly the mighty fall! Just last week, Jesus crowned Peter “the
Rock,” giving him the keys to the Kingdom; making him the Royal
Steward, the foundation stone of the Church. Tonight, we hear Jesus
call that same Peter “Satan,” accusing him of betrayal and
scandal; putting Peter firmly behind him, clearing the way to his
cross in Jerusalem. What happened? What happened to Simon Peter's
rock-like faith in Christ? He'd suffered no significant losses in the
meantime. He'd had no major existential crises; no tragedies of epic
proportions. As far as we know, he'd followed along behind Jesus all
this time, happily listening to his Master, taking it all in and just
being a faithful disciple. Then the Lord shows his students that “he
must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly [. . .] and be killed and on
the third day be raised.” How does Peter's rock-like faith prompt
him to respond? Does he leap for joy, knowing that our salvation is
at hand? Does he pack his bags, ready to follow Christ to the Cross?
No. Instead, he rebukes Jesus, saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such
thing shall ever happen to you.” Peter's faith meets Peter's fear
in battle, and fear wins.
Consider:
Peter is first among the disciples. Destined to be the first pope,
the first Vicar of Christ on earth. He's set among the other
disciples as the one to whom the Father revealed Jesus' identity and
mission as the Messiah. The Lord's revelation that he must go to
Jerusalem and die for the sins of the world must've shocked Peter to
his core. Peter's reaction to this news probably arises out of a
genuine love for Jesus and a genuine love for his own skin. Following
Christ means following
Christ. To Jerusalem.
To the Cross. To a sacrificial death. And, eventually, to a
resurrection from the grave. But getting to the resurrection part
entails suffering through the persecution, torture, and dying parts.
Peter's rebuke is understandable from a merely human standpoint. But
Jesus isn't seeing his mission and ministry from a merely human
standpoint. He's seeing it from all eternity – the whole of the
Father's plan for His people. From this view, Peter is an obstacle, a
scandal for Christ. He's literally standing in the way, tempting
Christ – as Satan did – to abandon his mission in favor of a
fully-lived life on earth. Jesus stops this temptation in its tracks
and teaches Peter and us how we must proceed: “Whoever wishes to
come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
IOW, do as I do.
All
of our lives as Catholics we've heard the refrain “deny yourself,
take up your cross, follow me.” We've turned the phrase “a cross
to bear” into a pale platitude, meaning little more than “well,
that's a terrible problem to have.” Got arthritis? Your cross to
bear. Got unruly teens in the family? Your cross to bear. Got a bad financial situation? Your cross to bear. The cross Jesus bears along the streets
of Jerusalem kills him. It is not only a heavy burden but an
instrument of execution. And an instrument of salvation. Arthritis,
unruly teens, and an empty checkbook can be heavy burdens, but they are
not likely to kill you AND save others. The cross you bear is given
to you to build up your faith muscles. To stretch your reliance on
hope and tone your eagerness to love and love sacrificially. I can't
tell you what your cross is. That knowledge comes with prayer and
fasting. But I can tell you that your cross will be most unwelcome,
painful, and – if you give God thanks for it – for you, a source
of eternal joy. Peter rebukes Christ b/c Peter is scared. For Christ,
he is afraid. He is also afraid for himself. No one wants to endure
pain and suffering. But if we follow Christ, then the comforts of our
middle-class, suburban, American Christianity stand in the way. Like
Satan in the desert, this comedic version of the Gospel tempts us to
hell.
The
False Christs we see everyday attempt to lure us away from The Way,
the only way. The False Christ of Legalism tells us that our
salvation is found in following the rules. The False Christ of
Emotionalism tells us that our salvation is found in feeling the
right feelings. The False Christ of Scientism tell us that our
salvation is found in “believing in science.” The False Christ
of Princes tell us all we need do to be saved is support the right
politician. We can add to the list the False Christs of More Money,
Career, Prestige and Popularity, Wellness, Revolution,
Race/Class/Gender, etc. What all the False Christs have in common is
Christ w/o the Cross. Christ w/o sacrifice. Christ w/o Divine Love.
Peter wants Christ w/o Jerusalem, w/o the Mount of Skulls. What
Christ himself offers is the chance to redeem your life by following
him in sacrificial love. That's hard. It's a narrow gate. A
potentially bloody path. But it's The Way, the only way. Do not be
deceived: Christ w/o the Cross is an obstacle, a scandal. It's the
way to nothing at all.
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Father, I'm going to turn in your talk tomorrow. Great job I needed to hear it. God bless. Jon
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