Reading 2
What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
"Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, "
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.
Indeed someone might say,
"You have faith and I have works."
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
Gospel
Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it."
Reflection
Today, our readings show us that true, living faith is more than just acknowledging God. While knowing and believing in God’s existence is a beautiful and necessary grace, that knowledge alone is not enough. The Catechism calls faith “a personal adherence of the whole man to God,” and that includes not only our thoughts, but also our choices and actions.
As St. James puts it in our second reading: “faith without works is dead.” We can memorize the Apostles creed or espouse profound theological truths, but if we do not live accordingly, our “faith” is dead. In today’s Gospel, St. Peter states the truth: “You are the Christ.” Mere sentences later, Jesus calls him “Satan!” Peter, though he knows that Jesus is the Son of God, is unwilling to accept the difficult works that accompany that truth. He rebukes the Cross.
It may seem like Jesus’ response is harsh—but we must consider what we know about Satan. Throughout the Gospel, who are the characters who know and even profess Jesus’ true nature and identity, and yet seek to steer Him from His mission and refuse to imitate Him? Demons and the Devil. When Peter acknowledges Jesus as Christ, but then rejects His suffering, death, and resurrection, he behaves just like the Evil One.
Jesus then says that Peter is thinking “not as God does, but as human beings do.” A true, living faith comes from God, not from human effort or thought. Our human perspective is incomplete and will reject anything uncomfortable. Let us pray for the grace to embrace the gift of true faith that God longs to give us. Let us ask Our Lord to help us place our faith in Jesus—not in our own abilities or ideas. And finally, let us adhere to God with our entire being in faith, by denying ourselves, picking up our crosses, and following Christ.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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