Reading 1
Nm 20:1-13
The whole congregation of the children of Israel
arrived in the desert of Zin in the first month,
and the people settled at Kadesh.
It was here that Miriam died, and here that she was buried.
As the community had no water,
they held a council against Moses and Aaron.
The people contended with Moses, exclaiming,
“Would that we too had perished with our kinsmen in the Lord’s presence!
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this desert
where we and our livestock are dying?
Why did you lead us out of Egypt,
only to bring us to this wretched place
which has neither grain nor figs nor vines nor pomegranates?
Here there is not even water to drink!”
But Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly
to the entrance of the meeting tent, where they fell prostrate.
Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them,
and the LORD said to Moses,
“Take your staff and assemble the community,
you and your brother Aaron,
and in their presence order the rock to yield its waters.
From the rock you shall bring forth water for the congregation
and their livestock to drink.”
So Moses took his staff from its place before the LORD, as he was ordered.
He and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock,
where he said to them, “Listen to me, you rebels!
Are we to bring water for you out of this rock?”
Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff,
and water gushed out in abundance for the people
and their livestock to drink.
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
“Because you were not faithful to me
in showing forth my sanctity before the children of Israel,
you shall not lead this community into the land I will give them.”
These are the waters of Meribah,
where the children of Israel contended against the Lord,
and where the LORD revealed his sanctity among them.
95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Responsorial Psalm R. (8)
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tested me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Gospel
Mt16:13-23
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
and he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Meditation: Matthew 16:13-23
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18)
What made Peter such a rock? What made him so solid in his faith that Jesus could build an entire church on him? Today’s Gospel reading gives us two clues.
First, Peter was open to God’s revelation. Just before he named Peter “Rock,” Jesus said that God had revealed to Peter the truth of who Jesus was. It wasn’t “flesh and blood,” it wasn’t Peter’s own good ideas, that led him to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. It was God himself speaking to Peter’s heart and giving him the conviction he needed to make such a bold proclamation.
Second, Peter let God form and shape his mind. We get a glimpse of this in the next few verses. Peter tries to talk Jesus out of dying on the cross, and Jesus rebukes him for thinking “not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23). Over and over, Scripture shows Jesus correcting Peter, teaching him, and even rebuking him. But through it all, Peter stayed humble and kept learning. He kept trying to separate the godly from the ungodly in his heart, asking the Lord to refine him. As a result, Peter became immovable, solid as a rock, trustworthy and faithful—just the kind of qualities that make for a great leader, evangelist, brother, and friend.
Was Peter perfect? By no means! But he was a changed man. He still had some faults and areas of weakness. But he never let them drag him down.
How can we become solid? By imitating Peter. We each have our own share of thoughts, attitudes, and assumptions. Many are good and wholesome, but some are not. These not-so-solid areas, such as resentments, prejudices, or pride, leave us weak and vulnerable to temptation. If we can follow Peter’s lead and let Jesus confront these areas, we can be set free.
What was self-centered in Peter became God-centered. His dreams became God’s dreams. The same can happen in us as we ask the Lord to break our patterns of selfishness and pride, and replace them with his self-giving love. We can become a rock in our parish. We can build the church!
“Jesus, I give you my heart. Form me into your servant. Lord, I want to be a rock for your people.”
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