Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
Jesus asks his disciples two questions. The first question is this: “Who do people say that I am?”
Many books have been written by others on who Jesus was. Some say a prophet. Some say a fraud. Some say a social reformer. Some say that Jesus was a really nice guy who was able to weave a good story that captivated the crowds. The Church has always proclaimed that Jesus is God’s Son, crucified and risen from the dead.
Then Jesus asks his disciples a second question: “But who do you say that I am?” This is the most important question for us. Do we stand with the Church’s declaration of faith or do we side with the others who fall short of finding in Jesus our God and our salvation?
Ultimately Jesus wants to have our heart, our worship, and our lives. He wants us to answer his question with the same faith of Peter, “You are the Christ.”
But Jesus also reminds us that following him and believing in him as our savior will have its share of sacrifices. He says, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Ultimately, we must lose our life for him and for the sake of the Gospel— and follow where he wants to take us. That means that we take ourselves out of the center and allow ourselves to revolve around Christ’s holy plan for us. Only if we do that, he says, will we be able to save our lives. Prophets, social reformers and frauds can’t give us the life that the Christ can.
So, it comes back to that central question of the Gospel: Who do you say that Jesus is? To answer that question, I think, we must determine whether Jesus is the one who is worth giving our lives to — and the only one who can save us from our sinfulness and from final death because he was sent to us from the Father and lives in us through the Holy Spirit.
And that is why we say everyone week at Mass, “I believe in One God..”
Have a blessed week everyone.