Get behind me, Satan

Gn 9,1-13; Ps 101; Mk 8,27-33
21 FEBRUARY

The temptation to take God’s place comes many times and in different ways. Indeed it follows every man as the shadow follows or precedes his body. The first who wanted to take God’s place, we know that it was Lucifer. He was the most resplendent light of Paradise. Since he was superior to every other light, he wanted to be a superior light to that of his Creator and Lord, a light without God and against God, because above God.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she laboured to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days. Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time.” When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year. The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus. It took its position on the sand of the sea (Rev 12,1-18).

Jesus was also tempted to be God without God, that is without the Father and without the Holy Spirit. But the Son lives in the communion of the Holy Spirit his eternal sonship that is from the Father. He lives in the only divine nature. Never might the Word exist without God, against God, without the Father, against the Father and autonomy of the Father. Peter is tempted today. Being a disciple of Christ, but above Christ, imposing on Christ what to do and what not to do. For this reason Jesus calls him Satan, because he wants to take the place of God, of his Father and of the Holy Spirit in his life. This might never happen. In eternity Jesus must always be from the Father, in the Father and for the Father.

Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Today the whole world is turning into Satan. It wants to be God, without God, against God, without Christ and against Christ. When this happens, there is no more salvation.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints ensure that we always remain men, we never make us God.