Living one day at a time

Bible verse:
“Get behind me, Satan! (Matthew 16: 13-23)

Inspiration:
Peter must have been very confused. Jesus had just given him the keys to the kingdom and had said "the netherworld shall not prevail against it." Yet, shortly thereafter, Christ had also said the chief priests and scribes would soon kill Him. When Peter pulled Jesus aside to rebuke Him for speaking about His agony and death, the Lord turned on him and said, "Get behind me, Satan."

Poor Peter meant well. He thought he knew what was best for Jesus. We've all met people like that. They are quick to tell you how to live your life. In fact, it has become a profession. There are now 70,000 "personal and business coaches" who belong in the International Coaching Federation. For fees ranging upwards of $150 per hour, these life coaches will tell you how to run your life.

The truth is we can't delegate responsibility for our lives to anyone else – no matter how spiritual, how wise or how talented they might be. No one else can do our soul work for us. Only we can do the praying and meditating that is necessary to discover our mission in life. Often, the wisdom we need is given to us one day at a time because that is all we really need for the task at hand.

Jesus lived each day as if it were His last. He was totally focused on what He wanted to accomplish in the time alloted to Him. No one and nothing could distract Him from His task.

The question each of us has to ask ourselves as we look in the mirror each morning is: if this were the last day of my life, what would I want to accomplish?

See also related reflections: "Who Do People Say You Are?"
                                            "The Keys To The Kingdom"

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.