Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

Who is Jesus for me?

 

 

Reading: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Matthew 16:13.

 

Good morning, happy Tuesday, and many blessings.

 

No Gospel (Matthew 16:13-19) text has been scrutinized more carefully than this, because it describes Jesus founding a church, and giving primacy to Peter. Let me imagine myself in that setting, under the cliff-face in Caesarea Philippi, as Jesus asks his momentous question: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Suddenly the dimensions of his mission expand. He is handing over to us (the ecclesia, or people of God) the task of continuing his mission. We are not, as is sometimes phrased, ‘followers of the church’. We are the church, served by bishops and others, but with our own wisdom.

 

St Peter and St Paul are often described as the 'columns of the faith': Peter was the rock upon which the Church was built, and Paul was the apostles of the Gentiles, especially chosen by Christ to carry the Good News to those who were not Jews. Today, as we celebrate their feast, I reflect on my faith, especially that it is a great gift from God, which I received when I was baptized, and in which I grew through the ministry of so many others: starting from the apostles, down to my parents, teachers, catechists, parish community, friends, and so many other witnesses. I thank God for this great gift, and ask for the ability to know how to transmit it to others, not as a museum piece but as a living reality.

 

I also reflect in gratitude that I am not called to live this alone, but with others, in the community we call the Church. I talk with Jesus on my membership in the Church, and ask him to help me be a living stone in this his house. May this house be open to all men and women of all time.

Our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question as to who Jesus (the Son of Man) is. It is not enough to quote the Catechism of Church or the views of one or other theologian. "But who do you say that I am?" Try to answer not only from the head but from the heart. You might helpfully rephrase the question as: "Who is Jesus for me?" An answer can only be given in prayer.

 

Jesus asks me this question today “Who do you say that I am?” This question forces me to consider what I really believe. Who is Jesus for me? What do I believe about him? Why am I a Christian?

 

Notice how Jesus stresses that Peter's (and my) faith is a gift from God. What is the rock on which Jesus will build his church: the person of Peter or his faith?

 

I sit with Jesus and try to honestly answer each of these questions. I don't judge myself for my answers but talk to Jesus and listen to what he says to me.

 

Blessings,

 

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 - 11:45

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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