From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. – Matthew 16:21

I woke up to the loud sound of rain. The drizzle that began the previous night hadn’t stopped and had become even stronger. I turned on the TV and checked the Internet to confirm if classes were suspended. Unfortunately, they were not.

       As I drove my kids to their school, we had to contend with the downpour. The traffic was heavy due to flooded areas and stalled vehicles. I had to stay calm in the midst of the constant complaints of my kids that they were late and why classes were not suspended. I thought my problems had ended when I finally dropped them off at school. I was wrong. My bad day continued as the route to my office was congested. After being motionless in traffic for 20 minutes, I got a call from my wife. She got a call from the kids’ school that classes had been suspended five minutes earlier! I had to go through all that trouble for nothing.

       In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples about the suffering He will face. He went through all the pain because of His great love for us. Let’s not allow His sacrifice to end up just for nothing. Let’s follow His commandments and live the life He wants us to live. Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)

Reflection: God went through it all for you because He loves you.

Lord, thank You for Your love. May Your love continue to inspire me to pursue a growing relationship with You. Amen.

St. Cajetan, priest, pray for us.

God continually renews His covenant with us because we break it. He is always faithful and we are the ones who fall short and nullify our agreements. Let us remember that the first step in conversion is the humility of repentance. We need to repent of our sins in order to fully appreciate the extent of the damage sin has caused in our relationship with God and one another.

31 The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their master, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

R: Create a clean heart in me, O God.

10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 12 [14] Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. 13 [15] I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall return to you. (R) 16 [18] For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 [19] My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (R)

The Apostles have learned a lot, but they have not yet understood or accepted that Jesus is going to suffer. This is understandable as their concept of a messiah is one of a great warrior king who frees his people. Jesus’ battle is against the sins and powers of evil within, not the armies and dominions of this world. One of the biggest lessons that the Gospel teaches us is that the battle for faith is fought within one’s self and not outside.

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

13 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.” 20 Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 21 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. 22 Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 23 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.”

think:  One of the biggest lessons that the Gospel teaches us is that the battle for faith is fought within one’s self and not outside.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Maccabees 15-16

I do not have a lot of time to argue with people who take specific Scripture passages literally and ignore many others, especially those that support our many Catholic practices. They love to preach against these practices, like the sacrament of reconciliation. Today’s Gospel does not allow too many logical interpretations other than the one the Catholic Church gives it — that the power of priests and bishops to forgive sins has been given by God.

       The reality is that, without institutionalizing the gifts of the Spirit, there is no way to retain order in the life of the Church. The  Montanist heresy demonstrated this when it rejected the authority of the bishops and allowed everyone to live “as the Spirit led them.” This does not work, as sin leads people astray. Rules are needed in order to keep the peace and make organized communities a reality. Chaos is the inevitable result if there is no real authority structure. That is precisely the witness of the Protestant and born again churches that simply split and make a new church when they disagree strongly enough over a point of doctrine or practice.

       The description in today’s Gospel allows for an ordered process of reconciliation within the Church and the lives of its people. Yes, we can ask God’s forgiveness directly and I am sure He will forgive us. But what about the damage we have done to the Church and other peoples’ lives by sinning? The sacrament, as celebrated in the Catholic Church, allows for the human dimension of forgiveness to be ministered, and the priest to stand in for both God and the Church to administer it. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTION: Whenever you go to confession, do you realize that it is Jesus, wrapped in the person of the priest, who listens to you and absolves you of your sins?

Jesus, I pray for priest confessors. Help them to be attentive in the sacrament so that the advice they give will help us grow in our experience of Your mercy, love and forgiveness.