If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; For in the image of God
has man been made. Genesis 9:5-6
Piety
Will you take me with you?
Can I afford the fare?
I will walk.
Can we walk together?
Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/021507.shtml
God wants so much more out of our humanity than just our humanity. He gives us the covenant of his love, his gifts and his Son. But these are not free of charge. God has demands on us like any parent has for her or his child…demands that we grow out of a childhood mindset of play and into a adult mindset.
Today, we encounter the end of the story of the flood, God’s last resort at corporal punishment for humanity’s misuse of His gifts. As God promises never to resort to such acts again, he lays out his expectation for Noah, for us: accountability and stewardship.
God was angered when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge without permission. They gave in to the temptation of Satan -- to imitate God. Today, we see Jesus rebuke Peter with harsh words, calling Peter “Satan.” Peter is reprimanded for not thinking like God. What changed? Why were Adam and Eve not supposed to have the knowledge of God yet Peter was?
It’s not about popular opinion or polls.
It’s not about assuming rights without fulfilling responsibilities.
It’s about accepting God’s love in action and fulfilling that covenant with what God asks of us…accountability for our actions, stewardship of his gifts, and love for our sisters and brothers.
It’s all about the covenant…BOTH sides of it. God’s side and our side.
We have a tendency to want to qualify the Word of God especially when the word is revealed with such absolute clarity. Whether talking about riches, life, death, taxes, or responsibility, can any of us live up to the kind of standard laid out in today’s reading or any day’s reading?
God demands an accounting for all human life because all people have been made in God’s image. God doesn’t qualify his side of the bargain. However, he knows our weaknesses. God knows how fascinated we are with riches like the balance in our 401(K) or Roth IRA account. He knows how pre-occupied we are with the value of our house on www.zillow.com or how high our property taxes are. He knows how much we want that fancy crib for the new baby or the shiny silver Lexus; the fancy European sewing machine or new set of golf clubs; the latest gadgets of the digital technorati or that nice Italian leather sofa.
God knows. He knows that for human beings it is impossible to leave behind our riches and follow Him. This is impossible. Can we possibly live up to this mission of piety, study and action? “But for God, all things are possible.” Matthew 19:23
Action
Jesus wants Peter to stand at his side. He does not want Peter to hide in the crowd. He does not want Peter to abandon him. He does not want Peter to deny him. Yet Peter must overcome his humanity. Until he does, Jesus commands Peter to get behind him.
Jesus wants us to stand by his side. He is not seeking a non-binding resolution. Jesus wants our full force commitment to account for all human life, including that of our enemy.
As Lent approaches, Pope Benedict points out, “The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome his love and allow ourselves to be drawn to him.”
“Accepting his love, however, is not enough,” Benedict XVI continues. “We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ ‘draws me to himself’ in order to unite himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with his own love.”
What do we need to do this season of Lent to stand by the pierced side of Jesus? What are the responsibilities for loving that I accept when I welcome God’s love into my life?
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