When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 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 Messiah, 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 Messiah. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must
go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the
scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him
aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever
happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!
You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human
beings do." (Matthew 16: 13-23)
Introductory Prayer: Lord
Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith that hearkens to your
words without any second guessing. I hope in your words, not relying solely on
my own strength or reasoning. I love you. You continue to astonish me by
showing me that your ways are not my ways.
Petition: Lord,
may I know you personally through faith and a generous imitation of you.
1. Partial Knowledge: We
acquire knowledge through experience. The people in the Gospel attempted to
know Jesus by identifying him with others. Some said he was John the Baptist,
who preached repentance and conversion like the Lord. Some compared him to
Jeremiah, whose prophecies involved a new covenant that God would make with the
house of Israel, one in which he would place his law within them, and “write it
upon their hearts.” “I will be their God,” he said, “and they shall be my
people.” (see Jeremiah 31:33). Some heard of Jesus’ extraordinary powers, and
mistook him for Elijah, who was carried away in a chariot of fire. All of these
figures match somehow with Jesus. But they don’t reveal his full mystery. Am I
content with a partial knowledge of Our Lord, or do I ardently seek to know him
inside and out?
2. A Mere Shadow: Jesus
does resemble the prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament. He resembles
them, but also supersedes them. None of these holy men exhaust the dimensions
of Christ’s person. They are rays, he is the sun. The apostles know the Lord is
more than Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah or even John. “Who do you say that I am?”
“You are the Christ, the Son of God.” How wonderful it is to know by faith that
Jesus is truly the Son of God. Do I appreciate this wondrous gift of knowing my
God, Creator and Redeemer through the person of Jesus Christ? I can rest in him
and find strength, hope and joy in him. Do I rest in him?
3. It Finally Dawned on Him and he Saw the Light: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has
not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” The apostles had first
compared Jesus to all of the holy ones of Israel’s past, but soon saw that he surpassed
them all. His virtue, goodness and power rose higher and higher, until he
shattered the paradigms of measurement and comparison. He was not only
quantitatively but qualitatively, much, much more. The heavenly Father shed his
light, and they believed at last. I need to live in the light that has shone so
brightly and continues to shine. Christ tells us that he is the light of the
world. He is the way, the truth and the life. Do I treasure my faith in Jesus
Christ, guard it and strive to make it grow and bear much fruit?
Conversation with Christ: Lord,
in my reading of the gospels I come to admire you exceedingly, but only grace
can allow me to believe. Only grace can strengthen my faith and allow me to
understand and see things the way you do. Give me the gift of faith, so I might
rise above those limits and come to know you as my supreme good.
Resolution: Today
I will pray for the gift of faith for those who don’t believe.
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