The WORD today reminds me to work on my relationship with God.
Parents are very fond of their children, especially babies. And as they start to talk, parents love to ask their children to say their name. Daddy. Mommy. Papa. Mama. They love to their their children calling their name. They love the fact that their children know who they are. This is probably what God wants from us as his children.
The gospel shows us Jesus asking the disciples the question: Who am I to you? He asked them who other people said he was, but it was really not important to Jesus. He was not interested in what others think. What matters to him is who his disciples see him for. Who he is to his disciples. Peter proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ of God.
Today, God is asking us the same question: Who am I to you? It does not matter what other people say Jesus is. It does not matter what sins we have committed in the past. It does not matter what we intend to do in our lives. What matters for Christ is our answer to his question. And we can only say he is our God if we have an intimate and personal relationship with him. if we don’t pray, if we don’t hear mass and take the sacraments, if we don’t read the bible, if we don’t experience Jesus, we cannot honestly say that he is our God. Probably we can say that other people say he is, or other people say he is a great and loving God, but unless we build an intimate relationship with Him, we cannot say the same.
We are challenged today.
We are still in a pandemic. We still have problems. And there are still a lot of things we can do. We are in a situation where we can show who God is in our lives. We know that he is all loving. We know what he wants us to do, that he wants us to share what we have and help others. If he really is God in our lives, then we will reflect that. We will live that.
We are still in a pandemic. We still have problems. And there are still a lot of things we can do. We are in a situation where we can show who God is in our lives. We know that he is all loving. We know what he wants us to do, that he wants us to share what we have and help others. If he really is God in our lives, then we will reflect that. We will live that.
Who is Jesus to you? Who is Jesus in your life? Do you put Him first in your life? Do you believe that He is the all loving, all merciful, all powerful God? Do you believe that He can work great things to and through you?
May we find it in our hearts to answer him like Peter did – that he is Christ the God, that he is God in our lives. May we work to have an intimate and personal relationship with Him, and work harder to maintain and grow it.
Father God,
Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another Sunday. Thank you for another day to rest. I praise and adore you for who you are. Lord, I am so blessed that you are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and that no matter what I do, you will not love me less. I am so grateful to be worshipping the same God that Peter worshipped, and I believe that you will use me in a mighty way the same way you used Peter for your glory. Lord, I ask that you help me live my life proclaiming that you are the Messiah, that you are my God, so that I can bring people to you and glorify you. Help me build and sustain an intimate and personal relationship with you. In a special way I lift up my sister Katrina who is celebrating her birthday today. Always keep her in your protection and may she always feel your love in her life. Continue to bless her and surprise her with how loving you are. This I ask in Jesus name, Amen.
Blessed Sunday!
In Christ,
-g-
August 23, 2020
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time; St. Rose of Lima
FIRST READING
Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth: when I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar. Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth: when I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar. Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
SECOND READING
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
ALLELUIA
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment