In Italian, there is an expression: “dalle stelle alle stalle,” which loosely translates “from the stars to the stalls.” This basically speaks of one’s fall from grace, if you will. It seems that St. Peter, in the Gospel today, went “dalle stelle alle stalle.” He was on top of the world responding to Jesus question of “Who do you say I am?” with “You are the Christ.” When the Lord explains the suffering He will endure, St. Peter rebukes Him and tries to prevent the Lord from entertaining such thoughts. Immediately, Christ rebukes him and calls him satan. What a fall indeed! Our Lord was conveying to St. Peter that God’s Will must be done and that nothing and no one must stand in the way of the completion of His Will. Satan attempted, unsuccessfully, to frustrate God’s plan. We know that things did not turn out so good for him. Today, we must cooperate fully in God’s plan. We see revealed throughout the New Testament that God’s Will is our salvation. Let us work on achieving that Will in our lives.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Wayne