From Our Director of Religious Education
Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist, others Elijah or Jeremiah”. He then asked them, but who do YOU say I am? And Peter tells him he is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
I invite you to take a moment and reflect on this passage on a personal level. Close your eyes, and imagine this conversation with Jesus. He approaches you, looks into your eyes, and says to you, “Who do YOU say I am?” Pause for a moment, now respond.
God is so good. He will be anything we ask him to be. When my heart was broken for the first time as a teenager, he became my lover and restored me. When my friends abandoned me, he became my best friend. When my boys were diagnosed with autism, he was the Father who wiped my tears so I could see the beauty in their condition. When my loved ones fall ill, he is my doctor. Jesus will be whoever we ask him to be. Yet, I can admit there have been numerous occasions when I’ve run to God as my last resort when he should’ve been my first.
Our lips can declare Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but is that also what is deep inside our hearts? Who do people see when they look at us? Are we Christ for others?
Peter and the disciples spent countless moments with Jesus, they heard his words, witnessed his works, and believed. The Father revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Messiah because he was in a relationship with the Son. Do you want to answer like Peter? Then you must remain in Jesus. The disciples were transformed by their relationship with Jesus, so much so that they were martyred for proclaiming the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Our Church looks to Peter as a model of faith. Jesus is the cornerstone and Peter is the rock on which he built his Church. Today we look to our priests as our models of faith. Peter’s faith is a faith called to action, as is the faith of all the ordained. A faith that gathers God’s people and brings them the message of salvation, that Jesus is here, a living God, who came to restore humanity’s relationship with the Father.
Jesus gives Peter authority and gives him the keys to the kingdom. He didn’t literally give him a keychain with a big gold key to the pearly gates. What this means is that the Church in her life gives us the gift of eternal life for all who become one with her. Jesus is the WHO, WHAT, and the WHY. The Church is the HOW. She helps us unfold the mysteries of our faith through the magisterium. Let us pray for the leaders of our Church and for our domestic church, so that we may proclaim Christ not just on our lips but with our lives.
Peace and Good, Sandra Dominguez
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