Today’s Gospel presents us with two very different sides of Peter. Last Sunday, he recognised Jesus as the Messiah, inspired by God. Today, however, Peter tries to prevent Jesus from accepting the cross. Jesus therefore rebukes him because Peter is thinking according to human ways rather than God’s ways.
We can be like Peter. We may want Jesus, but only on our own terms, Jesus “à la carte” who does not challenge our lifestyle or ask us to change. We can even imagine that we know better than God, especially when we struggle to understand suffering and the crosses in our lives. But we cannot truly follow Jesus while deliberately choosing sin or an immoral life.
What I appreciate about Christianity is that Jesus is realistic. He does not tell us that humanity can simply be raised to God’s level or that we will become angels. He knows that we are fragile. Yet our greatest comfort is that he himself carried the cross. This is why so many people turn to him in times of difficulty.
Jesus also warns that discipleship can be challenging. The Church has faced persecution from its earliest days; throughout history, Christians have faced different trials. Today, some countries experience secularism, while others still suffer persecution. Peter gives us hope: through the Holy Spirit, he was transformed into a courageous apostle. We too are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus.