God forbid, Lord!
“God forbid, Lord!” “Get behind me, Satan… You are not thinking as God does…” Poor Peter – I’m sure all the disciples did and said the wrong thing, but somehow he’s the one we get to see messing up and being rebuked by Jesus.
When Peter rejected the idea that Jesus should suffer and die, he also accidentally rejected resurrection. Satan encourages us to look at only one side of things. It seems simple enough – suffering is bad, so we should avoid suffering. But, if Jesus didn’t suffer and die, he could not be raised from the dead.
Sin and suffering are evils, but our God is able to bring good from those evils. Saints and theologians even suggest sin and suffering are somehow necessary.
Saint Peter wasn’t thinking with the mind of Christ. Neither do I.
This week, I was thinking about sin, and how rotten it is. The enemy, and my own human weakness, tempt me to sin. I seek to satisfy myself, set aside my sufferings, and follow my own way. When I am successful in these things, I regret it, and see my sin, then I get depressed. In my depression, I look for ways to feel better. The enemy, and my own human weakness, again tempt me to satisfy myself, set aside my sufferings, and follow my own way in order to feel better.
Sin’s awful. Sin leads to more sin, in an endless cycle.
But that’s only part of the picture. It is a true picture, but it is incomplete. Our enemy wants to focus only on that incomplete picture, because the other half is redemption, and Satan never wants us to see redemption.
Scripture teaches us that there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
At the Easter Vigil, the Deacon sings the Exsultet. In it, the church proclaims “O felix culpa…” “o happy fault.” The sin of Adam and Eve was an evil, but a necessary evil, because it led to our redemption.
Suffering, sin, and error are not good, but they can bring glory to God. Even in today’s gospel, we see Saint Peter make a serious error, but because of that error, millions of Christians have the opportunity to understand the mind of Christ a little better.
This week, a friend of mine shared something he wrote:
If it doesn’t bring glory to God
…it doesn’t bring glory to humankind.
…it doesn’t bring glory to our nation.
…it doesn’t bring glory to my family.
…it doesn’t bring glory to me.
What brings God glory? Am I seeking those things, or am I listening to false messiahs, who encourage me to satisfy myself, avoid suffering, and follow my own way?
How often have I avoided even a small suffering that might have given glory to God, and led to my own true joy?
How often have I failed to encourage others to accept their crosses, and attempted to offer solutions, instead of being like Simon of Cyrene, and helping them carry their cross?
How often have I desired to be right and righteous, rather than repentant and forgiven?
Saint Paul’s encourages us today to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. Whatever it is we experience, we can offer it up for God to use or redeem for God’s glory. Do I suffer? Do I fall? Do I rise? Do I prosper? Am I enlightened and encouraged? They all can be used for the glory of God, if I will offer them up.
Lord, transform us by the renewal of our minds, that we may discern what is your will – what is good and pleasing and perfect. Teach us to place all things, especially our faults and failures, in your hands. In the end, we know all things redound to your glory, and we give you thanks, although we do not yet understand. Give us the graces we need to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow you.
