Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16,13-19
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 Messiah, 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.”
The pillars of the Church
1) Peter and Paul. They are so different in their personalities, but so united in their mission! This has to remind you and me that our nature cannot be a hindrance to following Jesus. Our character , personality and our past are not obstacles to walking along His path. Your qualities help you follow Jesus and take Him to others. Just give your entire self to Jesus, as Peter did … and accept Him in your life like Paul did. The key is coming together with Jesus, because when you have Jesus in your heart, your life changes.
2) Who do people say? Jesus reminds us that in our Christian life we have ups and downs. Days when we want to pray 500 rosaries and days when we don’t even want to make the sign of the cross. Jesus reminds us to return to Him and if we get lost, the key is to look for Him again and again… to always go back to Him. Go back to talking to Him. Make time for prayer to nourish your inner self. Come together with Jesus once again.
3) Pope and Bishop. We see the successors of both Peter and Paul in the Pope and Bishops. Let us never stop praying for them and for unity in the Church. This could be a task for you at home today: Pray a Hail Mary for the Pope and for your bishop. Do you know the name of your bishop? If you do, pray for the Pope and for him by name. If you don’t, perhaps you could find out and then pray.
Let us pray.: Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
God, protect the Pope and our Bishops!
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Remember: Heaven is our goal!
Your contribution help us to continue with our mission
God Bless You!
