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In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tries to explain that he will die and rise again three days later. This frightens the Apostles; Peter doesn’t want Jesus to say these things. Jesus (who just gave Peter authority in the Church) scolds Peter for his lack of trust. Even someone as important as Peter needs correction at times.
Peter couldn’t fathom the hard things that Jesus was telling the Apostles. His immediate reaction was denial. Jesus said that Peter was “thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23). God is so much bigger than the worst thing we humans can imagine. When we’re faced with challenges and difficulties, placing our trust in God will see us through to brighter tomorrows. Accepting God’s guidance and correction will keep us on the path that leads to Heaven.
September 1 is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This date begins the Season of Creation, which ends on October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis is persistent in reminding us of our responsibility to care for the earth—our common home. If the scope of the world’s ecological problems feels too big, we might deny them altogether, but Pope Francis challenges us to think as God does and accept our responsibility to do what we can to care for our common home. We encourage you to consider how your family, class, and parish/school can embrace and live out this responsibility every day. Find morning and evening prayers to share here. Children will enjoy solving the code on this activity to find a special message about Creation.
Please share this Sunday’s Family Corner activities and prayer with families to help them to keep reflecting on the Sunday Gospel during these summer months.
