The Holy Gospel According to Luke (9:18-22).
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: Today’s Gospel invites to reflect on the deep question Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” This reminds me of my past career as a police officer. On several occasions, when I would stop a motorist for a traffic violation, I would ask them for their driver’s license and registration. At times, the driver was supposedly somebody important or somebody whom I should have recognized, but I had no idea of their identity. After I informed the driver of my reason for stopping them, the driver would ask me, “Don’t you know who I am?” Maybe he knew the mayor, the police chief or some other important person. The driver would say this because they did not want me to cite them for the violation. I would answer their question of, “Don’t you know who I am?” with no, I do not know who you are, and I am sorry their mother never told you. I would come back with a traffic violation citation and tell the driver, “Sign here please.”
Of course, this would not be our response to Jesus’ question. We know who Jesus is, the Son of God. Our response is like Peter’s response, “The Christ of God.” Hopefully, our response comes from personal conviction of having a personal relation with Jesus.
The beginning of the Gospel spoke of Jesus praying in solitude. Our response to Jesus’ question needs to be rooted in prayer, asking our Lord for the grace to help us see that He is our source of faith, spiritual clarity and strength.
The last part of this Gospel, Jesus connects his role as Messiah to suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection. As followers and believers, we know that this may mean accepting life’s hardships. When facing hardships, we are called to trust in our faith to help us through the hardships. We are called to surrender, “Letting go and letting God” help us to transformation.
Action of the Day: Begin every day with prayer, connecting with God, our Father. Ask for the grace and faith to strengthen our relationship with the Lord, and to recognize Him as our Lord and Savior. By accepting and trusting in God, we can embrace life’s challenges and get through them, trusting in God’s ultimate plan, not our plan.
Audio Reflection:
Thank you, Deacon Mike.