Responsibility and discernment

People sinned; God destroyed them in the Flood.

Afterwards, in today’s first reading (Genesis 9:1-13), God promises not to do that again and gives humanity power over life and death.

The dominion of man, of course, is not absolute: God remains the Lord and ultimate judge.

The example of Saint Peter in today’s Gospel (Mark 8:27-33) should likewise give us pause: he has a wonderful, God-given insight and then in the very next moment (long before the Resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit) makes a very bad error.

May you and I always exercise our responsibilities well and always – always – seek the discernment of God in what we do and what we say.