9/3/17: 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: God Invites Us to Accept Suffering

In the Gospel Jesus has some very strong words for Peter: "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me!" What prompted this rebuke from Jesus? It was Peter's insistence that the Messiah would not suffer. But this was not God's plan. God's plan was one of love, which implies suffering: willing the good of the other, which always requires me to sacrifice. It was true for Jesus, and it is true for us!