Daily Reflection – 2/16/2023
Sacred Scripture
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Mark 8:27-33)
Reflection
Through his texts, Mark has been offering us other people’s reactions to Jesus: the sick ones, the disciples, the scribes and Pharisees. And today, He is directly asking us: “But you, who do you say I am?”
What is your answer?
Is your Jesus on a cross in your Church? Or is your Jesus your daily companion? Or is your Jesus deep inside your spirit and your life? Has he walked with you through a suffering? Has He given you courage in a period of distress and disharmony? Has He spoken to you silently as you asked for His help? Has He forgiven you of a perceived injustice? Has He forgiven you for all the times that you may have substituted the world for Him?
In truth, He is all and some of these. But He is far beyond all of these. He is our Savior. He is our God. He is the essence of where our greatness lies. Allow me to repeat that. He is the essence of where our greatness lies.
Think about this for a moment. Each of us have seen or heard or perhaps even been comforted by great love. Love that was purely self-less. Love that prompted actions toward us that had no expectations of recompense. Love that was personified in the persona of another. THERE was the essence of greatness. There was a glimpse of who our Lord, our God, our Savior is.
If we are truly seeking a deeper relationship with Christ, we must know Him in our life. That only comes from prayer and reflection. It is not enough to know the historical Jesus or to hear about Jesus in whatever liturgy you attend. There can be no true knowledge of Him without identifying Him in your life. By seeing his patterns move in our lives and sense how He kindles the flame that glows in our hearts. When we can feel Christ, when we can converse with Christ then can we turn our eyes outward and prove our relationship with Him by the example of our lives. Our hearts must beat his own beat, sing his own song, and whisper his own silence. But this is possible only if we know who God is in our life, his place and his role.
Our will must be aligned with His will. We can do that. The Holy Spirit gives each of us the gifts and strength we need to live as His sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit gives us faith to know Jesus personally as our Redeemer. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live the Gospel faithfully. How do we live the Gospel?
We respond to this revelation with acts of faith, by choosing to believe, with the help of God’s grace, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. To center our lives on Christ and give as much as we can. As He was selfless, so should I be.
The Way of the Cross was not for Jesus alone but also for everyone who professed to follow him. Carry that cross each day and be liberated by its love.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, I believe, and I profess that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Take my life, my will, and all that I have, that I may be wholly yours now and forever.”
Daily Note
Every day, every minute, every moment of our life, we cannot do something more worthwhile than being in the mind and heart of God. So our hearts must beat his own beat, sing his own song, and whisper his own silence. But this is possible only if we know who God is in our life, his place and his role.
