Reading
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 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."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Reflection
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Christ, in His wisdom, provides for each person whatever they need to fulfill the mission God has placed before him or her, from each one of us up to the Vicar of Christ, the Pope.
St. Peter, the first Pope, is no different. St. Peter was known for having an impulsive and, initially, a weak faith. Peter is the Apostle who refuses to have Christ wash his feet (Jn 13:6-9) and he is the apostle that denies our Lord three times (Lk 22:59-60). In all, he does not seem like a strong candidate to lead the Church. Yet, it is Christ who calls this man to do just that.
What Christ does is give him not only the gifts needed to fulfill this momentous task but also gave him the courage to build His Church. He gave Peter the wisdom to decide the first controversy in the Church (Acts 15:1-35) and also the courage to die a martyr's death.
God gives each one of us the courage and wisdom to live our vocation that God has called us to carry out. He provides for us, but trust in Him is needed.
Today, let us turn toward the Lord for the courage to live out our vocation, first as a Christian in the post-Christian world, and especially in our unique vocational call, so that we, like St. Peter, can be called a disciple of Christ to the end.
As always, know of my prayers before Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+Bishop Schlert
