Youth for Christ Sto. Tomas Cluster

02162012, Thursday

James 2:1-9 / Psalm 34

Gospel: Mark 8:27-33

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Predicts His Death

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

“If we all threw our problems in a pile and got a look at everyone else’s, we’d fight to get back our own.”

“A middle-aged woman ends up injured in a car accident. Paramedics rush her to the hospital. As she floats in and out of consciousness, she beds God to keep her alive. God tells her not to worry. God promises her a long, long life. It isn’t her time to go.

While she’s in the hospital recovering from her broken bones, she figures she might as well get a few other things done. She opts for a tummy tuck and oh, why not get the breast augmentation? She has her eyes lifted and her nose reduced. She looks and feels like a new woman. She’s so pleased with her new body and young face, she can’t wait to show the world.

Minutes after she leaves the hospital for home, a bus rounds the corner, slams into her, and kills her. When she gets into heaven, she’s furious and tells God, “You said I was going to live a long life. What happened?” God studies her face and says, “I didn’t recognize you.”

–Father Clem Metzger

As I read this funny story I laughed and told myself “God would not make that mistake” but after eight seconds (eight is my favorite number!), I realized that the story is not about God being confused. It was about us always wanting a different life.

I was struck when Jesus said, “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priest and teachers of law and that he must be killed…” If I knew that people would rebuke me, friends would betray me and people I trust would leave me, I would ask God my Father to alter my life; Jesus did not.

– Dear______________,

How’s your life now? Would you have wished that you were living someone else’s life? Someone once wrote that God comes to us disguised as our life. In the mess of that life, in the problems and flaws we’d like to wish away and pray away.

Jesus’ life is an awesome one, after dying, rose after three days, after being rebuked, being left, being rejected is now loved by many generations, a life still controversial after decades, the life story whose book is a best seller (Bible), a life that inspires many lives, a life that was made to define what love is!

There were immeasurable times that I hoped for another fate but God always reminded me through Christ that He made every life uniquely perfect, we all have different answers to the question “Who do you say I am?” but to our Creator he had one and if we ask Him “Who do You say I am?” I’m seamlessly sure He’s got a perfect answer.

If we all threw our problems in a pile and got a look at everyone else’s, I’d fight to get back my own not because I’ll see how easy it is compared to others but because it is God’s manifestation of love in my life.

Writer: Joselle Salvador | Artist: Lex Alinsod

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET