18TH THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 16:13-23) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mt 16:23)

FIRST READING - Num 20:1-13

"Water came out in abundance."

A reading from the Book of Numbers

¹ The Israelites, the whole community, arrived in the wilderness of Zin^[b] in the first month, and the people stayed at Kadesh. It was here that Miriam died, and here that she was buried.

² Since the community had no water, they held an assembly against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people quarreled with Moses, exclaiming, “Would that we had perished when our kindred perished before the Lord! ⁴ Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? ⁵ Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, only to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place for grain nor figs nor vines nor pomegranates! And there is no water to drink!” ⁶ But Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting, where they fell prostrate.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them, ⁷ and the Lord said to Moses: ⁸ Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and in their presence command the rock to yield its waters. Thereby you will bring forth water from the rock for them, and supply the community and their livestock with water. ⁹ So Moses took the staff from its place before the Lord, as he was ordered. ¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, where he said to them, “Just listen, you rebels! Are we to produce water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice^[c] with his staff, and water came out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank. ^12 [d]But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not have confidence in me, to acknowledge my holiness before the Israelites, therefore you shall not lead this assembly into the land I have given them.

¹³ These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and through which he displayed his holiness.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 16:13-23

"You are Peter; I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven."

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew

¹³ When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi^[a] he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist,^[b] others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ^16 [c]Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood^[d] has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. ¹⁸ And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,^[e] and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.^[f] Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ^20 [g]Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

^{[h] 21} From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he^[i] 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. ^22 [j]Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” ²³ 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.”

18TH THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 16:13-23)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Gospel, God reveals that Saint Peter's attempt to prevent Jesus from going to Jerusalem to suffer and die was an idea that came from Satan. God also poses a profound question to each individual: 'But who do you say that I am?'

Every person has a soul that must face God, not waiting for the moment when He calls them out of this world, but right now, people must face God about their choices. Whoever chooses God as their Savior—the One who holds the power and authority to save their soul—must follow Him, glorify and worship Him, and live according to His teachings. Such a person will be granted eternal life with God the Father in Heaven.

To achieve this is not by human strength alone, but by the grace and the divine working of the Holy Spirit, who enlightens the mind and opens the heart so that people may come to know God as a loving Father, the Savior who came into the world to become a human being to rescue humanity from the captivity of Satan.

Today’s Word of God also teaches us that through the image of Saint Peter preventing Jesus from going to Jerusalem to suffer, to die, and to rise again for the salvation of humanity. Was Saint Peter’s act of prevention in accordance with God’s will? The answer is no! It was because Satan had entered into Saint Peter to obstruct Jesus on His path of suffering and death. Saint Peter was a human being, so he thought and acted according to human reasoning. He tried to stop the Lord, not wanting Jesus to go and suffer death. The Lord rebuked Peter, saying: 'Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.' He also revealed that it was Satan’s idea to prevent His disciples from walking on the path of suffering.

The Word of God also serves as a warning to all: whoever wishes to follow God must also be willing to endure suffering, persecution, humiliation, and condemnation, and carry their own cross up to Calvary each day with the Lord in order to triumph over Satan. On the other hand, whoever chooses to follow the ways of the world in search of wealth, glory, fame, and worldly pleasures is not walking the path that Jesus has taken.

Therefore, today’s Word of God calls His disciples to:

• Remain vigilant against the temptations of Satan;

• Discern clearly between the will of God—who invites each person to take up their cross and follow Him—and the schemes of Satan, who tempts humanity to pursue the ways of the world: wealth, status, and glory;

• Ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, that He may guide each person to walk on the path of the cross—the very path that Jesus Himself walked on.

Thanks be to God. Amen.