SAINT JOHN VIANNEY, PRIEST (MEMORIAL)

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.

We can certainly understand Peter’s reaction when he heard Jesus predict his passion and death: “God forbid, Lord!” (Matthew 16:22). Like Peter, we don’t want to see anyone die, especially those closest to us. But Jesus rebuked Peter and told him that he was thinking not as God does but as human beings do (16:23).

We might wonder how the Lord could expect Peter, a human being, to think like God. But Jesus knew that Peter would need to adopt a heavenly perspective if he was going to spread the gospel and lead the Church. For Peter, this call would involve suffering and ultimately death. Before he could embrace it, he would have to deal with some blind spots. Let’s see what they were and how they might distort our own thinking as well.

First, Peter couldn’t see that Jesus’ suffering and death would bring about the greatest good the world has ever seen—our salvation. As we said in our first article in this issue, because of what Jesus suffered, our own suffering can have meaning and purpose. God can always bring good out of suffering, even when we can’t see it at the time or even if we don’t see it this side of heaven.

Second, Peter couldn’t see that Jesus would rise from the dead and that his resurrection would give life to the whole world (John 6:33). For those who put their faith in Jesus, death no longer has the final word. As painful as it is to lose someone we love, and as hard as it is to face our own death, Jesus has given us the hope of an eternal, heavenly existence unlike anything we can imagine now. That’s what Jesus’ death and resurrection did for us!

Because we are human, we will always struggle to think as God does. But that doesn’t mean we should just throw up our hands. As we follow the Lord and stay close to him, God will help us overcome our blind spots. Over time, he will reveal more of himself and his plan to us. His perspective is so much wider and broader than our own. As Peter ultimately discovered, it’s a gift to see things God’s way!

“Jesus, open my mind and heart to think and see as you do.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19
Matthew 16:13-23