In last week’s Gospel, Jesus asked Peter: Who do you say I am? In a burst of inspired enthusiasm and reverence, Peter makes a deep profession of faith: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In today’s Gospel, Peter’s enthusiasm is considerably lessened when he learns that Jesus must suffer for the sake of the kingdom, and that he and the rest of us disciples will also have to suffer! Suffer how? By denying ourselves, by not living just for profit, by conducting ourselves worthily. St. Paul unwraps all this in the second reading when he says: “do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” and “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God …” This is so “today!” We live in a time when sexting, internet porn and hooking up have become acceptable behaviors for many. We live in a time when the body is degraded by drugs, obesity and abuse of all kinds. Jesus loved the human body enough to be embodied himself. How can we use our body this week to make his love and his values evident to people we meet?
– Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia