Get away from me Satan!

Get away from me, Satan!

“The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law.  He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life.’  ……….  “Get away from me, satan, your thoughts don’t come from God but from man!” (Mark 8: 31 – 33)

I see Jesus, my friend and companion unfolding the details of his mission.  How do I react to it?  If  Jesus suffered much and was rejected by all the important people of his day, what can I expect?  He says to me: if you really want to be my friend and companion, don’t expect to have things easier than I did.  The servant can never be greater than the master.  

There will be people who will like to discourage me from the path marked out for me by God.  To them I will say boldly, “Get away from me, satan, your thoughts don’t come from God but from man!”  Most Holy Spirit, grant me the discernment to distinguish between the word of God and the word of man.