Who is God for you? What is your image of God? How do you proclaim Jesus as your Lord and Savior? - Daily Reflections August 4, 2016

FAITH IN ACTION

 

Peter’s profession of faith, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” took place in Caesarea Philippi, a Gentile territory. This was a place where they consider faith in God as irrelevant. Peter’s profession of faith indicates the universality of the mission of Jesus as the Messiah. His mission to proclaim the Father’s love and offer of salvation is not only for the few chosen ones but for everyone. Peter’s profession of faith suggests an invitation to follow the Lord and participate in the very nature of the Messiah.

       In that sacred profession of faith, Jesus gave Peter the authority to head the Church. But this authority is not meant to dominate but to serve and to offer one’s life for all. Peter, like Jesus, will perform the greatest possible love for everyone, the sacrifice on the Cross for the salvation of all.

       To profess that Jesus is the Messiah is to live like Jesus. His mission becomes our mission. The content of His heart becomes our treasure. St. John Paul II said, “When we think about the many problems that face you daily, when we think about the many people who are suffering, we think about Christ. In the faces of the poor, I see the face of Christ. In the life of the poor, I see Christ’s life reflected. A Church that wants to be a Church of the poor must heed this challenge, discover its full depth and implement its full truth. We are called to do what Jesus did and proclaim the Gospel to the poor.”

     To proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, we are called to carry the compassionate heart of Jesus to the lonely beggars, the poor in the slum areas, the sick and the dying. We become the compassion of Christ in action — both to the poor and the rich, the oppressed and the oppressor.

       Jesus suffers when we suffer. Our pain becomes His pain. Allow our actions in solidarity with the Suffering God to answer His question, “Who do you say that I am?” Fr. Alex Balatbat

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Who is God for you? What is your image of God? How do you proclaim Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

 

Jesus, grant me the grace to experience the infinite compassion of God, that I may begin to share the same compassion with others. Amen.