Jesus’s reply is unexpected, though. He does not say, “You are right, Peter. You are so lucky and blessed because finally I am here.”  Let us not forget that Jews were waiting anxiously for the Messiah, the Christ. Jesus’s answer seems disappointing because he said indirectly something that was hard for many to understand. He answered through his acts, rather than through His words.  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.

What did Jesus mean to express by responding in this way? 

When God created the whole world, the universe, he just said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He just said it and it was done. However, when He redeemed man, He had to become man and be killed by man. There is a huge difference between creation and redemption. God wanted to redeem us by becoming human, the same as you and me. God did  not avoid anything about humaneness, not even suffering.

We, the Christians, believe in a God who is at the same time human like you and me, but also God. For that reason, I said there is nothing more human than Christianity. Our God knows us very well, and not only because he created us, but also because he became like us.

We should think about his, but more importantly, we should meditate and pray about this idea. Otherwise, we might be like Peter, who Jesus rebuked.  Jesus told him: “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” It is important to pray every day to learn to think like God.

Furthermore, God became a man to teach us something really important. It is impossible to avoid suffering, work or pain. Like all these things in life, if we want to succeed then we will have to work hard and make sacrifices. Otherwise, we will not have anything.  This holds true for everything in life.  We must work hard and make sacrifices. If we want to be in shape, we will have to work out consistently and persevere through the tough times. We would also need to avoid or limit our consumption of certain foods. If we want to get good grades in school, we will have to work hard there, as well.

Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Christ invites us to follow Him.  It can be difficult to be loving and kind towards others sometimes, especially if we are angry at them. If we are disappointed with somebody who did us wrong, we may have difficulties forgetting it. In these situations, we have the opportunity to deny ourselves and treat others well if we choose to take up our cross.  Especially if we are easily angered, this is an opportunity to take up our cross, the cross of anger, deny ourselves and be nicer.

Nothing is more human than Christianity. God became a man and he knew what suffering, pain and sacrifice was. He was able to forgive, to pray for his enemies and even to justify their actions: “Father, forgive them because they do not what they are doing.” By meditating on these thoughts, we will be able to realize that it is possible to live a virtuous life. It is necessary to practice what our Lord Jesus told us this morning. Moreover, in this Mass we will receive His Body and Blood; and therefore, be strengthened so as to be able to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow and imitate our Lord Jesus.