February 10, 2021
Good afternoon,
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter tHook him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Mark 8:31-33
This is the first time Jesus tells his friends that he is going to die. Each of the twelve would have responded to these words differently . Maybe shock. Maybe disbelief. Maybe some did not hear or listen. The disciples had given much of their lives to follow Jesus. This is not the message that they want to hear. Jesus and Peter have a fight over the words of Jesus. Jesus says, “Get behind me Satan,”. Strong language about Peter’s response to Jesus’ announcement. What is going to happen ?
What do we not want to hear from God today ? Have you ever heard a voice of the Spirit, and then told God, ” No!” The prophets of the Old Testament do this all the time, and it is Scripture. So, we can say that we can disagree with God’s voice. ( God allows Jonah to go on a boat to Tarshish.) It means we believe deeply in the Lord. We want to clarify what God wants from us. We want to be sure of everything.
In 1991, Shirley and I felt it was time for us to move to Ontario to continue our lives. We felt it was in God’s will. Could we have said, ” No “. Some people in Pennsylvania wanted us to stay there. They were people we loved, and we knew they cared for us. What should we do ? Would both choices have been the will of God ? How do we pray when we are conflicted in your souls ? Let us reach back to St. Teresa for our prayer to God today.
Let us now pray to the Lord,
Let Nothing Disturb You
Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
all things will pass away.
God never changes;
patience obtains all things,
whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices. Amen. St. Teresa of Avila ( 1515-1582 )
Fred
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