Today’s reading presents another interesting conversation between Jesus and Peter.  Not only is Peter unwilling to go to Jerusalem where suffering awaits, he doesn’t want Jesus to go either.  Jesus has already said that he will endure suffering and death, and now he is prepared to undergo his fate.  This encounter with Peter allows him to teach us what it takes to follow him and what it means for our salvation.  Taking up our cross may not lead to the kind of death and suffering that Jesus endured, but it does mean that whatever our cross might be, it will be the way to gain eternal life with Jesus.