Welcome to

St. Anne Parish

Welcome to

St. Anne Parish

September 12th, 2021

24th Sunday B in Ordinary Time:

 

FR. Brito Pastor 

In today’s Gospel Jesus asks his disciples and us this most important question. 

“Who do you say that I am?”  

Simon Peter is the first to speak. He says: you are the Messiah. Now Peter is correct in his answer, he is also incorrect in his understanding of what it means to be the Messiah. 

Why did Jesus want them to keep this profession about him secret? 

The reason was that it was not only Peter who had a misconception of the meaning of messiah, but also the majority of the Israelites were hoping that the messiah would restore Israel to its former glory, like in the time of king David. 

Jesus would correct this think:  

“He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.” 

Peter, after hearing the teaching, takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him. 

Who are you, Peter; that you are so bold to rebuke the Lord?  

In Mathews Gospel we have a fuller picture of this event. When Peter professes his faith in Jesus he says: “you are the Messiah the Son of the living God” 

This is where Simon is given his title as Rock. 

Jesus says: Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so, I say to you, you are Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it. I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” 

Perhaps this is why Peter is so bold as to try and convince Jesus not to go to the cross. He had misguided conceptions of the messiah and now a misguided sense of authority. He has authority only in his submission to the will of God that is reveal by the Son of God. Jesus becomes very severe with Simon Peter, “Get behind me Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” 

As followers of Jesus we must stop thinking the way the world thinks and begin to put on the mind of Christ. 

So again, who do we say Jesus is? 

Why is this question so important for us to answer?  Because he who walked with us and died for us is and redeemed us; 

is the Messiah the Son of the living God, he is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the worlds, he is as, St. Thomas declared “my lord my God” Emanuel, God with us, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And he demands of his disciples complete and total submission to his will. 

 Are we willing to take up our cross and follow him? Or do we prefer the world and it's misguide teachings?