30 Aug 2020. Cycle A. 22nd Sunday OT. Jer 20:7-9 + Rom 12:1-2 + Mt 16:21-27

[Jesus] 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” (Mt 16:23).

To reflect on the Word of God is not to look at it in another perspective, but to open the eyes wider in order to see its full view—to look at it through the Spirit of Jesus.

God’s manifestation may unfold in an instant, but may also unfold gradually over time; hence, patience is necessary to let it unfold.

Posturing to possess insider-information on ‘what Jesus meant,’ or ‘what would Jesus do,’ and to claim exclusive intellect to understand it is a heresy of Gnosticism.

Jesus meant what He said, and He stated it definitely. To give it ambivalent meaning in order to suit human will is to give room for disobedience. VSS