THE REAL IDENTITY OF JESUS
First Reading: Isaiah 22: 19-23
Second Reading: Romans 11: 33-37
Gospel Reading: Matthew 16: 13-20
*First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah assures the people of Israel that the Lord God will remove the corrupt official Shebna who does not take care of the chosen people. In his place, the Lord God will appoint Eliakim who will take fatherly care of the people of Jerusalem and of Judah. He will rule the people with fairness and justice. Thus the Lord God will bring justice to His chosen people.
*Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Romans. Paul instructs the Christian community in Rome and us about the inscrutable mystery of God: That He is the creator and the Lord of all that exists. We humans with all our wisdom and human way of understanding are very much limited. We cannot truly comprehend or understand the infinite wisdom of God.
Who do you say that I am? Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus reveals His true identity during His conversation with His disciples. Jesus puts two questions to His disciples. The first question is, "Who do men say that I am?" He is interested to know what the people of that time thought about Him. The answers as expressed by the disciples consist of the following: 'Some say, you are John the Baptist (who has come back to life) or Prophet Elijah or Prophet Jeremiah or one of the prophets of old.' Hence, the perception of the people in general are limited to the understanding of Jesus as a prophet or as a man of God. Then Jesus puts a second question, a personal one to His disciples. 'Who do you say that I am?' It is a very searching question. Peter immediately speaks up and confesses: 'You are the Christ, the Son of God.' Impressed by this great answer from Peter, Jesus praises him and tells Peter then and there that this confession of faith expressed by him is something extraordinary and it is a revelation from the heavenly Father. Jesus further confirms that Peter will be made the head of the future Church and that he is the rock on which He will build His Church. Today, Jesus puts the same question to each one of us: 'Who do you say that I am?' As He converses with us we could recall some of the faith journeys we had in our lives. Perhaps the image of Jesus in our early stages in life have undergone tremendous transformation. Perhaps as the years have gone by, our faith experiences of Jesus have deepened and strengthened. May be we could also share some of our faith experiences with others as the Apostles did during their lifetime. They faithfully transmitted their faith experiences to the future generations.
"There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ: Jesus is my God." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"I see Jesus in every human being." -St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
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