Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16, 13-19
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
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 Christ, 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.”
You are Peter
1. Jesus asked. He asks because he expects those who follow him to be attentive to the reality that surrounds them and not to live in a religious bubble, where it seems that everything happens in the apostles’ own nucleus. It’s necessary to look at the reality that surrounds us, to look at the people and to look around. It’s something that also happens nowadays, even within those of us who are part of the Church. It seems that our world spins around the parish or church group and, that’s it, leaving aside what happens in our family or in our neighborhood. We must also be attentive to this. It’s important to listen others, to listen to that person who is not involved in the things of God, to listen to those who think differently. In your life, this happens too. You stay in your group of friends, and you don’t listen to what others are seeing of you or your actions. What do people say about you? The idea is to listen, not to feel conditioned by what is said, but because there is a reality that you may not be seeing. You may create your own vicious circle and stop seeing the whole.
2. You are. The act of faith shown by Peter is crucial because it marks a before and after. It’s interesting to read this text today, since we are going through a stage of synodality that has been proposed to us for some time. The first step is to listen, but there’s a second step: “to emphasize” the truths of faith. We must clarify that we are Christians who listen and also confirm our faith in God, in things that are clear in our Christian life. You can listen and receive input, but there are essential things in you that mark your life and your faith, which you have to emphasize. You shouldn’t be a person who acts based on the opinion of others, but you can be a person who grows, who develops who you are, taking into account the worthy opinion of others.
3. You are Peter. When you go through the process in which you listen, but you accentuate in your faith what God is in your life and how He acts, there comes a third step: confirming your identity. This involves who you are and what you’re aims are, what fulfills you, since it’s God who confirms through actions who you are. Let’s see this a little more clearly. Your life must go from listening to others, listening to what they say about you, to observing and reflecting about yourself and then confirming who you are through your actions, since it’s God who confirms you with concrete actions. Because as philosophy says: “actions follows being”. You do things in your life because of who you are.
Today, let’s pray for the Pope and for his health. May Our Lady take care of him and protect him.
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Always remember that something good is on the way.
