Thursday, August 8, 2013

The Rock of our salvation: Daily Mass Homily--Thursday, August 8th, 2013


            Each of our readings this morning refers to a rock. 
            As the Israelites continue to wander in the desert, they continue to complain.  Today they are thirsty.  Rather than praying to the God who brought them out of slavery and through the Red Sea, they hold a council against Moses and Aaron.  Moses and Aaron, though, respond in a better way—they go directly to the meeting tent in which God resided.  God listened to their pleas and quenched the Israelites’ human thirst with water from a rock.
            In the Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi and Peter utters his famous proclamation: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus then gives Peter his name (until this point he was referred to as Simon) which actually means rock and gives him the keys of heaven and earth.  This whole sequence took place beside a massive rock structure—100 feet high and 500 feet wide.  (No, Fr. Rich, this is not a monadnock).  Jesus uses this tangible image of strength and endurance to show how His Church would be established on Peter, the rock.
            As great as Moses, Aaron and Peter were, we must remember that they are not perfect.  Moses and Aaron didn’t follow God’s command to the full—did you notice what they failed to do?  God commanded Moses to command the rock to give water.  Moses struck the rock with his rod.  And Peter is no better.  Just after being given the keys, Peter denounces Jesus’ explanation of his upcoming passion: “God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.”  Jesus replies, “Get behind me Satan!  You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
            We must always remember Who the rock really is: “Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.”

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