Thinking as God Does

Gospel
13 September 2009
24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mk. 8:27-35

By:Lester C. Yee

It must have hurt St. Peter very much when Jesus Christ called him Satan. St. Peter was only being concerned about the welfare of his very good friend. You can imagine how deep their friendship would have been on many levels. They ate together, travelled together and talked about a lot of things. The depth of their friendship was confirmed when St. Peter was able to recognize who Jesus was, as Son of God. Indeed, it was not flesh and blood that has revealed this to St. Peter. But rather, it is this love that St. Peter and Jesus shared for each other, the very strong friendship they have built, and the extraordinary love Jesus shared to St. Peter and to all his disciples, that revealed to St. Peter who Jesus is.

Perhaps, we can infer from this scene what thinking as God does is. Miracles, for instance, occur quite frequently. It maybe the train that arrived the moment you stepped on the platform as you were running late for an important meeting. It maybe the sudden phone call you received from a friend just after bad news had struck you. It maybe your favorite viand prepared by your mother after a tiring day of school or work. These “coincidences” are products of flesh and blood but not just of flesh and blood. These are opportunities when God works wonders in everyday life.

In the same way that St. Peter recognized who Jesus was, we are called to realize who Jesus is in our everyday lives. We are called to notice the explosion of miracles that happens every day which then encourages us to hope, to take up our crosses freely, and be instruments of God’s love, bearers of His message to those who refuse to know God or to those who have lost hope.

We are invited to know God and to think as God does, to love, to hope, to give and to forgive.

If you wish to share any reflection on the gospels for the following Sundays, please do not hesitate to email lesteryee@gmail.com or text 0922-8412898.