Feed on Christ, and then go and live your life, and it is Christ in you that lives your life, that helps the poor, that tells the truth, that fights the battle, and that
wins the crown. - Philips Brooks (How will you "feed on Christ" today?)
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Jer 31:31-34; Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
Mt 16:13-23
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
and he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "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 shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of
heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No
such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Reflection on the Scriptures
Words matter, and understanding words, especially God’s Word, Jesus, matters. Jesus’ Word is always, always calling us to action, to be better, to be better than what the ‘powers that be’ of this world
offer, to everyday be the light of God’s love. We hear of early Christian communities that constantly, like the first disciples, Mary Magdalene the greatest among them, not fully getting it – ‘Sir, they have taken my Lord and I do not know where they put him’, and of course dear Saint Peter’s rebuke from Jesus from today’s Gospel, ‘Get behind me Satan’. I always wonder what was going through Jesus’ mind as he hung there on that Cross. Seemingly, his earthly ministry failed, the people did not fully get it, we do not fully get it, but we should. Jesus hanging there commending his whole life, the joys, the deep friendships, the healing, preaching, teaching, and call for conversion, the good, good work that was his mission. He honestly carried with him as well, things like the sins of the world that divine love condemns, things that were contrary to God’s love, like exploitation, manipulation, hatred of self and one another, violence, unjust attitudes and actions that keep others down in the prisons of their life. Are we not called to fully commend our entire life, whether you are nineteen or ninety, not only the many crosses but also the divine love we have encountered and experienced throughout our life from this God who created us out of love, for love. Anything less and we are not in an honest and integrated, and full relationship, giving God, as Jesus, did every fiber of his very being, with our God whose love is, was, and always has been there for us. We need to
see and feel the light of God’s love, and then in action, not just words, be the light. It’s only love after all! by Kent Beausoleil, S.J.
Psychic Energy and Contemplation by James
Arraj From St. John of the Cross and Dr. C. J. Jung, Part III, Chapter 9. Inner Growth Books, 1986. Acquired Contemplation in the 20th Century For Fr. Gabriel both acquired and infused contemplation are one from a speculative point of view; they are both caused by the infusion of God. But from a
practical point of view they are distinct enough to warrant separate names. Infused contemplation takes possession of the soul completely enough to make itself experimentally felt, while in this other contemplation the divine inflowing is hidden. (4) And the person receiving it is not conscious of it in the same way as infused contemplation, but this hidden contemplation is the cause of its inability to meditate, and so it must now do something else: exercise itself in looking lovingly at
God.(5) This active contemplation is much more common and is offered to practically all who are willing to fit themselves for it as they should.(6) In it the intellect no longer reasons discursively, but is content to gaze upon God with a simple loving attention.(7) This loving attention is drawn from the soul by the hidden contemplation.
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