Today’s Reflection will be done by Dn. Carlos Porras Jr.
The Gospel, according to Mark (8:27-33)
Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do
TODAY’S REFLECTION: I used to worry often of the opinion of others. What do they think of me? Did I say the wrong thing? Was the thing I just did awkward?
And my family members were the ones I used to worry the most of, because they were the first, and without hesitating, to call me out on one or more of these worries of mine.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” In answer to this question, the disciples answer to Jesus that some thought He was “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” But then Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was. It was Peter who responded by saying, “You are the Christ.”
As we ponder this exchange between Jesus and the disciples, try to hear our Lord ask you the same question, “who do YOU say that I am?” Though some people would most likely find this easy to answer on an intellectual level, do not answer it too quickly. Think about it. Deep within your soul, what do you believe about Jesus?
Though Peter’s answer is the correct answer, it is important to ponder what that means. This is especially evident by the fact that as soon as Jesus began to explain to His disciples His mission as the Christ, Peter could not accept it. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand the essence of His mission. His mission was one in which He would become the sacrificial Lamb of God and die for our sins. But this was too much for the disciples to immediately understand, accept and embrace with gratitude.
Do you understand, accept, and embrace this primary mission of Jesus?
There is some people who can fall into the mistake of thinking that Jesus is only an inspirational figure Who teaches us how we should live. And though that is true, Jesus is so much more. He is the one and only way to Heaven. Without His death and resurrection, we cannot attain Heaven. He is the one and only Savior. The Lamb Who was slain for our sins. The one and only source of eternal redemption. The exclusive bridge between Heaven and humanity. And though we might understand this intellectually to a certain extent, our faith in this fact must enter deeply into our soul so that we can believe it and embrace His gift of eternal salvation within the deepest core of our being. This will take a radical understanding, acceptance, and embrace if we are to truly receive the gift of Jesus’ life.
ACTION FOR THE DAY: Meditate today upon how you would answer this question from our Lord. “Who do YOU say that I am?” If you are to answer this correctly, then it requires that you continually deepen your understanding, acceptance, and full embrace of the saving mission of our Lord.
Audio Reflection:
