Today's Gospel Reading: Mark 8:27-35

Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." 

In this incident, we have a glimpse on how close Peter might have been with Jesus to be able to take him aside and to rebuke him.  Their relationship might really have been that of the best of friends, that of brothers.  Peter might be concerned with Jesus' reputation when the latter foretold his disciples about his imminent fate, or maybe he was concerned about their reputation --- what if their followers would fall away after what Jesus said (that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected...and be killed and rise after three days.)  We do not really know the motivation of Peter for rebuking Jesus right after he said these things.  All we know is that he could speak openly to Jesus. And maybe Peter was taken aback when Jesus rebuked him as well.

Peter, who had just professed Jesus as the "Christ," and to whom Jesus said that it was God, his Father, who revealed this to him, was the same Peter whom Jesus addressed as Satan for thinking not as God does.

This reality can be a wake-up call for all of us, followers of Christ, who may have grown lax in our own following of Christ, in striving to think as he thinks, sense as he senses, do things as he does.  We might not notice it but we may have been becoming lukewarms --- content in just knowing that since our faith is in God, in Jesus, this is already enough. Well it is. But as St. James forewarned us in the 2nd reading,"faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." He further made his point by saying, "Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works."

May we not deem our closeness with Jesus as a reason to slack in discerning where the Spirit is moving us.  Peter might have fallen in this trap of carelessly saying things without reflecting it from the heart.  Good thing, Jesus can also be blunt as to criticize him, and put him in his place: "You are thinking not as God does."

How is it then to think as God does? Can we know the thoughts of God? Didn't Jesus say, "Be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect?" What is this perfection mean? Again, perfection if attributed to God, speaks of his essence and nature as trinity ---- a community of love.  He is not just love. God is also a communion of persons.  Therefore, to think like God is to be like him --- to always be in communion with others grounded in love.

Our profession of our faith in Jesus Christ must not stop with our spoken words.  May we embody whom we profess and be worthy of his name when we call ourselves Christians.