SAINT PIUS OF PIETRELCINA (PADRE PIO), PRIEST (MEMORIAL)

Who do the crowds say that I am? 

If you asked ten people on the street who Jesus is, you would probably get fifteen different answers! Some might say he is a historical figure. Others might call him a moral teacher or philosopher. Some may deny that he ever existed. And still others might call him a prophet, like the people in the crowd in today’s Gospel.

But you might also hear one or two people echo Peter in confessing that Jesus is the Christ (Luke 9:20). That answer is as radical today as it was in Jesus’ time—and we are blessed to proclaim it! Our answer connects us all the way back to Peter and the other disciples. Like them, we have spent time with Jesus. We have studied his teachings, been awed by his mighty deeds, and heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus’ glory to us. What’s more, we have become convinced that Jesus truly is the Son of God—something even the disciples weren’t sure about at the time.

We proclaim this truth every week at Mass when we recite the Creed. We do it so often, in fact, that it can seem routine, even ordinary. But it is extraordinary. Together as one body, we declare our belief in a God who became human, who suffered, died, and rose again. We have come to know Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, and so we boldly proclaim our faith in him as the Son of God.

How grateful we should be for this gift of faith! How grateful we should be too that God promises us that we can always grow in our understanding of who Jesus is. His love is so vast that we will never tire of exploring all that it means for us.

You might want to try focusing on a portion of the Creed in your prayer each day. Think about each statement as you declare it. Ask the Lord to highlight one or two phrases to you and to reveal himself even more to you. Then, on Sunday at Mass, pause before the Creed and thank Jesus for revealing his truth to you, to whatever degree you understand it. Pray that the Spirit would help you to find a way to share this great good news with someone so that they too can join Peter in his proclamation.

“Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of God!”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Psalm 144:1-4
Luke 9:18-22