the e-Testament
Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
“And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”
Reflection
Jesus asks a seemingly simple question of Peter - who do you say I am? And he asks us the same! Jesus isn't interested in what others think of him - He wants to know what I think of him. He trusts me, He loves me!
We've all been in relationships of one kind or another where we've questioned another's commitment to us or maybe even when our commitment to another has been questioned. Likewise, Our Lord wonders about us. What does Christ mean to me? Is he just an image on a a wall ? Someone from the past of whom there's lots of stories told? Someone who others seem to know better than I do? Or does he have a real place in my life? Do I really know Him and live for Him? He is indeed, as Peter responds, the Christ, the Son of the Living God? How does that truth affect my faith?
Gill McCambridge - Salesian Sister
Prayer
Lord, help me to live my faith as an expression of my personal relationship with you. Help me to really have the conviction that you are our Saviour - the Son of God, and not to be swayed by what others say or think but rather help them come to know you by my witness to you.