Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
I kind of sympathize with Peter in today’s gospel reading (Mark 8: 27-33) when Jesus rebukes him for rejecting his prediction of his suffering to come. Jesus uses strong words, “Get behind me Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Well, yes, Peter is human and so are you and I. I think I get that Peter didn’t understand or want to believe what Jesus was explaining to him and the other disciples. He probably had it in his mind that Jesus was the political liberator that was popularly expected of the awaited Messiah at that time.
I imagine that Peter was also growing closer to Jesus and didn’t want to accept that he would be rejected, would suffer and be killed (before rising again). And I can’t say that I blame him. It’s hard to accept suffering in the lives of those that we love and care about. And it’s hard when life doesn’t go the way we had expected or planned with our limited human thinking. Jesus made it clear that Peter was thinking as human beings do, not as God does. Jesus, however, was choosing to do God’s will, no matter how difficult and unpopular that may be.
Similarly, in the first reading (James 2:1-9), we are reminded that unlike the popular and rather human inclination to show partiality to the rich, as followers of Jesus we are to show no partiality. In fact, if there is any partiality, it is to be for the poor, “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom…?”
Don’t we, as a society, certainly show a preference for the rich, the famous, the physically beautiful? We don’t really want to associate with the poor, the unattractive, the unpopular. The author of James’ letter points out that if we fulfill the Scriptural law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” we are doing well, but if we show partiality, we commit sin. So arises the question, “who is my neighbor?” Is it just the people that live near me (and how well do I treat them anyhow?) or does it include the people I work with, go to church with (even if I don’t know their name)? What about the people that live in other parts of the city where I’m not comfortable venturing? Or those who don’t speak my language? What about the many forgotten ones in our jails and prisons? Or people in developing countries and countries where we have been at war? Who exactly is my neighbor that I am called to love?
Jesus is calling us to think as God does. Not an easy task given that we ARE human, but we can call upon the grace of God, the presence of the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance. Today’s psalm (34) reiterates the message, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” May we, too, hear the cry of the poor and our neighbor over the praises sung for the rich.
- Eileen Miller