“When Christ at a symbolic moment was establishing his great society, He chose for its cornerstone neither the brilliant Paul nor the mystic John, but a shuffler, a snob, a coward – in a word, a man. And upon this rock he built His Church, and the gates of hell have not prevailed against it.”
G.K. Chesterton from Heretics
In last week’s gospel Peter declared Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” and handed to him the keys to the Kingdom. In true Petrine form this week Peter turns around and rebukes Jesus and his plan for our salvation. Jesus goes so far to exclaim to Peter, “Get behind me Satan.” Peter is caught not thinking of the divine but of the great human suffering, humiliation and death of his beloved friend who just so happens to be the Savior of the world.
Peter allows his love for Jesus and his emotions get in the way of God’s plan for the world’s salvation. Jesus used Peter to make an example to his Apostles, warning them about his oncoming fate. The plan is put into action. The cup will not be passed. The suffering is unavoidable. There is no cure or easy way out. Our Lord offers Himself up on the cross for us, to save us from our sins. This is our salvation.
Jesus redeems Peter and the Apostles with a warning and a challenge. They too will be called to suffer on behalf of His Church. He calls each one of them to pick up their own cross, not once, but daily. “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” Jesus chooses these imperfect men, with a very imperfect leader to emulate him, in his suffering and take up his cross. This is the call to action, to build the Church on Earth to serve the Kingdom of Heaven.
As Men of Saint Joseph, we are also called to action to take up this same cross each and every day. We are imperfect leaders, called just like Peter. We are called each day to suffer silently along with Jesus for our families, for one another. Like the Apostles, we can carry these crosses together as Men of St. Joseph, leaning on each other’s experiences and growing in our shared faith as true brothers in Christ.
-Joey Willis
