From the responsorial psalm: "Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (16:13-19, today's readings)

"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.”

By asking the disciples two questions, Jesus brings into focus an understanding of him that goes beyond human observation. "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" In asking this, Jesus opens up to them the reality of his divine Sonship. Jesus further brings them to another realization by asking, “But who do you say that I am?” Hearing Peter's answer, Jesus acknowledges what the Father reveals to him. He confers upon Peter the governance of his Church and the authority to make binding decisions regarding moral and doctrinal matters. In matters of faith and morals as he is guided by the Holy Spirit, the pope is the servant of servants of God, which continues in apostolic succession throughout the centuries. We acknowledge papal authority because Jesus himself conferred it upon Peter, whose profession of faith—"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."—is the rock on which the Church is built.

God, deepen my understanding of the gift of the Church and the papacy. Jesus asks the disciples questions that he also asks his followers every day. Help me see in the Church and the sacraments the teachings and guidance of Jesus, given out of love, as pure gifts to his people. Lord, in exile while on earth, I have the Church to guide and light my way for all the days of my life; in the life of the world to come, I have her for endless length of days—the light of your face in your heavenly kingdom. Saint Peter, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the responsorial psalm: "The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (8:34—9:1, today's readings)

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?"

Speaking both to the crowds and to his disciples, Jesus teaches them the necessity of denying oneself and taking up one's cross. In this dense teaching, he says the word life four times. To gain one's life is to lose it for the sake of Christ; to detach from all that the world offers is to work toward coming into his kingdom in his Father's glory, the Second Coming. If to profit in this life means to forfeit the life of the world to come, all the profit in the world is loss. The paradoxes Jesus shares—all centering around life and the cross—are not clever inversions but truth spoken by the person of truth, the Incarnate Word. What is our truthful response to the Word made flesh and the nature of his relationship with us? The Gospel acclamation makes this clear: "I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me."

God, let me remember the words of Saint Peter Damian as he speaks about the necessity of carrying the cross. He said, "For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection." The people in the first reading were united by a common language but saw their unity crumble in the tower they built out of self-adulation. In the midst of the day, help me lose life for your sake so that I gain it. Give me the grace to detach from what is transient and work for the profits that bring me to you in the unity of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ your Son. Saint Peter Damian, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the Gospel acclamation: "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (8:27-33, today's readings)

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. 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.”

By their own profession of faith spoken by Peter, the disciples tell Jesus that he is Christ, the Son of Man. By asking them questions, Jesus hears their answers and takes their exchange a step further. He begins to teach them about his coming passion, death, and resurrection. Peter's image of Christ the Messiah is discordant with the truth of Jesus' mission, so he rebukes him. Jesus is perfectly obedient to the will of the Father, fulfilling his plan for our salvation. What Peter doesn't understand, he makes clear to him even as he turns his gaze to the disciples. That God has a plan for us in Jesus, there is no doubt, as we hear him say in the first reading, "For in the image of God has man been made."

God, help me see clearly where my plans end and yours begin. I pray to be free of unwieldy desires to control what I can't control and instead to let you take that from me. In your image, I am made free in order to freely choose to do your will. As Saint John Paul II said, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” Peter did not desire to see Jesus face his coming persecution and death, but he was powerless to impose his will on a plan Jesus freely chose to fulfill. Give me the grace, Lord, to recognize and name your divinity and think as you do but not as human beings do. Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.