Sunday, June 19, 2016

Happy Fathers Day!!!!!




“What do people say about me?”  Jesus asks his disciples what people say of him.  Then he asks them what they themselves say of him, “Who then do you say I am?”  Peter, the leader among his disciples, replies for them, “The Messiah of God.”  

All three Synoptic gospels recount this confession of Peter as a key event in Christ’s ministry: The Gospel of Mark has the same reply as the Gospel of Luke, “You are the Messiah.” (Mk 8:29)  In the account of Matthew, Peter’s confession ads, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) In the account of Matthew Peter is also promised his leadership and primacy in the Church, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church; never will the powers of death overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.” (Mt 16:18 – 19)

Peter’s response in his name and for the other apostles came not only from his deep and prolonged experiences with Christ but also, as Christ so clearly says in the account of Matthew, as a special grace and revelation from his Father in heaven: “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh and blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.” (Mt 16: 17)  Faith in Jesus Christ as Son of the Most High and as our Savior is a grace and gift from our heavenly Father,






 “Who do you say that I am?” is the recurring question Jesus poses to each one of us today.  As we celebrate the Lord’s Day and offer the Lord’s sacrifice by listening to God’s word and partaking of the living Bread he has left us in the Eucharist, we pray for the Father’s grace and gift of faith.  “Who do you say that I am?”  “Who is Christ in our lives?” “How does Christ act in our lives?”  


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