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 identity of Jesus
You should always be clear about who Jesus is and the relationship you have established with him.
It is very easy to get carried away by what people say and it is very easy to buy yourself a God that people sell you. I think there is a 3X1 promo in the sale aisle today. Three types of Jesus are on sale for you to choose for your life:
1) Jesus, the stepmother: He is the punishing God, the one who only delivers justice and keeps score. He is a scorekeeper of sorts. He almost becomes a soccer referee because he keeps up with the plays and if something happens it is because he gave you a card, a red one or a yellow one. This is a God that you are afraid of because if you don’t do things a certain way, do not pray a certain way, don’t go to mass a certain way, he is going to punish you or is not going to listen to you.
2) Jesus, the lamp: he is an Aladdin of sorts, that instead of rubbing a lot, you need to pray a lot in order for God to give you what you are asking for. You pray and pray until he gives it to you. God, please help me with this. I want to have this or that. We turn God into a genie’s lamp that needs to be rubbed until you are granted what you are wanting.
3) Jesus, the secretary: he is the one who accommodates everything from my idea, he obeys my orders. I tell him what I want and ask him to prepare it so that everything turns out the way I want. In other words, I am the pilot of my life and God is my co-pilot.
Finally, in Peter we see the response of the God that Christianity proposes to us: a living, close, liberating, saving and healing God. A God that shows you the way of humility, of diminishing yourself, of serving, of making yourself small so the God can grow and speak to your heart. Relating to God in this way changes your life. May God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And always remember Heaven is our goal.
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