(Source from The Word Among Us)

God forbid! (Matthew 16:22)

Isn’t that the way these things often happen? One minute, you’re filled with good and holy thoughts. Then the next minute, someone says something that upsets you, and you respond with anger, jealousy, resentment, or some other negative emotion. We all know what that’s like!

So it should be no surprise to see Peter “rebuke” Jesus, the man he had just proclaimed to be “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16, 22). When he hears Jesus predict his coming death, Peter becomes upset. In a flash, he loses his peace and clarity. Instead of humbly asking Jesus what he means, he tries to tell Jesus what he should and should not do. And that passionate response earns Peter a stern rebuke of his own: “Get behind me, Satan!” (16:23).

So how can we get to the point where we can hold onto our peace and our trust in the Lord no matter what happens? The answer lies in today’s second reading: “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). We can change. We can learn how to put aside our fallen sinful thoughts and ideas and take on Jesus’ way instead. Or as Jesus told Peter, we can learn to think “as God does” (Matthew 16:23).

For Peter, this meant accepting that the way of Jesus, the Messiah, is the way of self-giving love, not self-preservation. For us, it may mean asking for the grace to embrace Jesus’ call to forgive “seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22), or to turn the other cheek (5:39), or to choose not to be served “but to serve” (20:28), or any of Jesus’ other teachings that we find difficult.

Today’s story about Peter shows us that this kind of change is not a once-and-done event. It happens over time, often with stops and starts. But it does happen, day after day, decision after decision. We can be transformed!

“Jesus, teach me how to think and act as you do!”