KNOWING CHRIST - 08/27/23 (Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time)

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 16:13-20

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.

REFLECTION:

Jesus called Simon Peter “blessed” when he proclaimed that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We, too, will be blessed if we shall know Christ for who He is not for who we want Him to be. Oftentimes, we attribute human characteristics and weaknesses to God. For example, people often find it hard to forgive. People blame and criticize, so when we make mistakes, we think God will not forgive us too, and so we go farther from Him and sin some more which in turn offends Him all the more. But far from the truth, God is Mercy Himself. The more we sin, the more He awaits us and longs for us. Remember how He died on the Cross for us so that there will be no sin unforgivable except for those who firmly scorn and reject God’s forgiveness until the end by their own will and decision. Another, some people often only go to God whenever they need something. This thinking comes from the fact that He is not the center of those people’s lives but themselves. Therefore, they seem to have no need for God other than when they need something for whatever plan they already made for their lives. These are manifestations of human weakness and our sinfulness. But if we admit our mistakes, we can be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by Him, we can know God for who He is.

Jesus is the Christ, our Savior, and therefore He shall be the one and only true Lord in our lives. What does this mean? That our lives must be based on the Church teachings and scriptures and not on the lives of celebrities and the trends in the world. We must be ready to give up anything and everything in order to fulfill our duties as Christians. What are these? Go to Holy Mass on Sundays and confess at least once a year. Abstain and do not eat meat on Good Fridays and Ash Wednesdays. Follow the commandments. Avoid sin and temptations. Go and help our brethren, the poor ones and the hungry, those who could not repay us, and feed them according to our own capacity. If we truly believe that Christ is the Lord and our God, we will do as Christ has done in the world. We won’t separate ourselves from Him and say that’s not our responsibility. On the contrary, it is now ours for we are Christ’s hands and feet. We must be ready to renounce and leave the worldly trend and lifestyle for Him and to follow Him because we must only choose one. May we always choose God by His grace and mercy. Amen. 

Source:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Saint of the Day – Saint Monica—Memorial:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/st-monica-mother-of-st-augustine---august-27

(Not celebrated as a liturgical memorial this year since it falls on Sunday)

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth