Today we remember precious gifts from God our Father of which we may have taken for granted from time to time, received through His Son Jesus Christ.
In Today’s Gospel we first hear the proclamation by the Holy Spirit through Saint Peter about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sent by our one true and living God, in a region where the people once idolised the mythical God Pan followed by Caesar Augustus.
Jesus establishes our one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church through our first pope Saint Peter and promises that evil will never, ever prevail over it. The Sacrament of reconciliation, one of the many keys which are all handed over to Saint Peter. Soon thereafter He will establish the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist,the gift of Himself to us; His death for us thereby conquering death and winning for us life eternal.
Our ways are not His ways, our thoughts are not His thoughts. May we always strive for holiness so that He may continue to dwell in us and lead us to our heavenly inheritance. Glory be to the Father and the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever. Amen
GOSPEL Matthew 16:13–23
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
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