Thursday,
February 16, 2017
6th Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Gen 9:1-13
Gospel: Mk 8:27–33
Jesus set out with his disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” And they told him, “Some say you are John the Baptist; others say you are Elijah or one of the prophets.”
Then Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed and after three days rise again. Jesus said all this quite openly, so that Peter took him aside and began to protest strongly. But Jesus turning around, and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan! You are thinking, not as God does, but as people do.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
The succeeding Gospel readings from today onwards will follow Jesus as he leaves his Galilean Ministry and moves towards Jerusalem to suffer and die at Calvary. The Gospel reading for today is the first of the series of readings in Mark showing how Jesus tried to make his apostles understand the meaning of his Passion as they made their way to Jerusalem. Like the blind man (yesterday’s Gospel reading) whose sight Jesus restored gradually and not in an instant, the apostles had to be introduced gradually to the mysteries of his Passion and Death.
We see some fruits already of Jesus’ efforts in today’s Gospel reading. When Jesus asked his disciples who he was to them, Peter already gave this right answer: “You are the Messiah”. The answer, however, lacked substance. While Peter uttered the right answer, he nurtured the wrong notion of a Messiah in his mind. He was thinking about a political Messiah who would take up arms against the Romans to free Israel from their domination.
Jesus knew that what was in the mind of Peter was also what the other apostles were thinking. So he began to teach them the kind of Messiah that he was: a suffering Messiah who would have to suffer many things. Finally he told them that he would be killed but would rise again after three days. Peter, probably, no longer heard the “rise again” portion of what Jesus said. Peter took Jesus aside and strongly protested. But Jesus turning around, and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan! You are thinking, not as God does, but as people do.”
Lest we merit the same rebuke, let us revisit our concept of the Messiah. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. n.org.
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