Reading 1 Jer 31:31-34
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers:
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Alleluia Mt 16:18
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 16:13-23
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippiand 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.”
THE VOICE OF GOD ON EARTH
"You are not judging by God's standards but by man's." –Matthew 16:23
As we write this, the Catholic Church, led by St. Peter's successor Pope Francis, often seems like a lone voice crying out in the wilderness of the culture of death (see Mt 3:1ff). The Catholic Church has consistently spoken out against the use of contraception, defends marriage as occurring between one man and one woman, defends the poorest of the poor, condemns abortion as murder, and stands against capital punishment and for social justice. Many teachings of the Catholic Church are attacked by the world. In the USA, the Church is under attack by the Health and Human Services' mandate, which attempts to force the Church and its members to compromise their stance on contraception. However, the Church will not submit to such attempts at intimidation (Mt 10:26).
So often, the Church is the voice of God on this earth. Praise God for the Church, which is a marriage between the divine and human. Though the Church is made up of sinners, she strives to have the mind of Christ (see Mt 16:23; 1 Cor 2:16), her Head. Therefore, listen to the teachings of the Church. Learn them and seek to follow them, for Jesus speaks through His Church today, as He did two-thousand years ago (see Acts 2:42; Lk 10:16).
| PRAYER: | Jesus, You said that those who hear Your apostles, and by implication their successors the bishops, also hear You (Lk 10:16). May I seek Your voice through the voice of Your Church. |
| PROMISE: | "I will place My law within them, and write it upon their hearts." –Jer 31:33 |
| PRAISE: | St. John became a saint by persevering with simplicity in his role as parish priest. |
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