“…You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 16:18).
The behaviour of Saint Simon Peter is so interesting to me.
Firstly, he does not really want to believe in Christ, and it takes his brother Saint Andrew to convince him to pay attention to what really matters. Then he believes so fervently that he refuses to do things in half-measures. And then when Christ warns them that He will die, Saint Simon Peter is the first person to pipe up and say – no way, I will protect you and stop such a thing from ever happening to you – ever.
“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 on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.’” (Matthew 16:13-23).And Christ’s reaction to this in Saint Simon Peter was instantaneous and it was confronting… Right after He had said, “you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 16:18). Just a few passages earlier in the Gospels, Christ called the Saint Satan and told him to get behind Him…
Why?
Because there is nowhere in the Bible or the Gospel or the teachings of the Church where God says life will be easy or that people will not suffer. There is nowhere in the Gospel where Christ promises that we will float to Heaven on a cloud. There is nowhere in the Gospel where God promises us that our lives will be easy.
And in this passage, Christ was educating Saint Simon Peter – and therefore educating me – on what He expects of me. And what He expects is that we will suffer. He does not want me to turn away from suffering. He does not want me to take an easier road and not to suffer. In fact, He is asking us to seek out the suffering and the pain and to turn away – as though it is from the Evil One himself – from any attempt to make things better and less painful.
And the Great Saints know this. They know that suffering is something to be sought out as a crown in Heaven. Because, when we really think about it, it is that suffering that is our only way into Heaven. And how much I reject it and try to get around it and try to avoid it – that gift of suffering. And how patiently my Beloved keeps sending me a little of it back – just a bit at a time – just to give me a chance to try to get into Heaven one day…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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