The Gospel reading for this week and next week
come from a section of Matthew which deals
with ways the community might regulate its
behaviour. Clearly there were some in the group
who were behaving in ways which brought the
community into disrepute and were contrary to
the teaching of Jesus. The question was one of
how the community should confront such issues
of human sinfulness and help each other in the
spirit of love which Jesus professed.
Matthew recalls the words of Jesus to suggest a
way forward in this dilemma.
This text comes immediately after the
parable of the lost sheep where the shepherd
expends all possible effort to find the lost one
and bring it back to the fold. For Matthew,
the main point of that parable is the joy which the
master expresses when the lost one returns.
That point is emphasized in this text where
Matthew again suggests that all possible effort
must be expended on correcting those in the
community who err before taking the final step o
f exclusion from the group. Even then,
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This Gospel contains the first of
three predictions of his passion and death
that Jesus makes along his journey
to Jerusalem.
Matthew tells the story of that journey
across the next four chapters of his Gospel.
Peter is highly disturbed by the predictions
of Jesus’ suffering but is soundly rebuked.
The contrast between this text
and the Gospel of the previous week is stark!
In the immediate prior episode,
Peter is praised and rewarded for his sublime
affirmation of faith,
You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
In this text, Peter’s lack of understanding
of what that means and the mission
Jesus has causes him to be ridiculed
as an obstacle to the divine mission.
While we may have some sympathy for
Peter in wanting to spare Jesus the pain
and suffering he predicts, what is at issue
is Peter’s failure to see that the cross is part
of the plan and that discipleship
will also involve the cross. Taking up the cross,
however, will result in great reward and ultimate....
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At this point in the Gospel, Jesus
and his chosen have travelled
and lived together for some time.
He invites them to explore what they
understand of his identity.
Even in his question there is an
explicit hint of his identity,
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
The people offer a variety of opinions:
John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or
one of the prophets.
But it is Peter who adds to the title Son of Man
by recognizing Jesus as the Christ,
the Son of the living God.
This same Peter whose faith faltered
when he was buffeted by the wind and waves
(see 9th Sunday of Ordinary Time)
has now shown that he is open to God
and recognizes Jesus for who he is.
But this is not the end of Peter’s story.
There are ups and downs in his response,
as there are in our own.
As long as we remain open to
the gift of God- faith- we are offered forgiveness
when we fail to treasure what
God has given to us.
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God has already been active in the lives of the
two women who meet in today’s Gospel.
Both have conceived a child who is destined to
play an important role in God’s plan for the
salvation of the world.
But Elizabeth intuitively recognizes
the greater role that Mary plays and
affirms her blessedness.
The magnificent prayer of Mary,
known as the Magnificat,
points away from herself, towards the God for
whom all things are possible.
It is God who is responsible for the honour
bestowed on this ‘lowly handmaid’.
Her blessedness is a proclamation of God’s
greatness and for generations
God has been active in the history of his people,
raising up the lowly and feeding the hungry.
The surprising reversal of the expected order is
part of the mystery of God’s action.
In this young virgin, mother of God, the mystery
of God is to become human.
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REFLECTION The death of the Baptist has left Jesus saddened
A little noticed phrase in this text adds
significantly to the way we understand this story.
Jesus told the disciples to cross to the other side of the
lake. In doing this they were heading away from the
Jewish region into gentile territory.
The boat is a symbol of the Church and as such, we
can detect in this text a reflection of the
situation of Matthew’s community who have been
forced out of the synagogue and away from traditional
Judaism. More and more, it is
gentiles who are coming to belief in Jesus.
This is causing fear and concern for some in the community.
Matthew gives a prominent place to Peter
whose actions do not make sense except as a combination
of impulsive love and faith weakened by doubt.
While his full attention is on Jesus, Peter is fine, but as
soon as he allows what is going on around him to
distract him from Jesus, he begins to sink.
This text offers a parable of the Church besieged and
being tossed about. Peter’s response is to be bold and
step out into the unknown, yet he is vulnerable. ....
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