A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 9:18-22
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
REFLECTION: “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
Who is Jesus to you? Do you really know Him or do you know about Him?
Have you ever been with someone who reminded you of someone else?
Does someone in your family have the same mannerisms and characteristics of their mother or father or same way of thinking as their spouse?
PAPA uses its 5 C's of Communication to engage with another. We call it the Principle of Communication. We first make Contact--call, meet or write the person. We then Connect--share a prayer card or a gift of ourself and our time. We Communicate--listen, converse and give encouragement and purpose to one another. Then we have Communion--be present to each other sharing love, time and a close relationship with God. Then we Create--create a way to help, provide help in our spiritual growth and in our service to one another.
For each level, you know more of the person. It is one thing to know about someone, it is another thing to know them. The closer you are to someone, the more you know their thoughts, how they feel and what they will do next. Before long you start thinking like them, acting like them and instinctively doing the same thing they do.
Peter knew who Jesus was. He knew Jesus from the inside, from his heart, from his own encounter with Him. They were friends and the apostles would soon be able to think like God, as well, as they grew to know Him.
I invite you to do the same. Read the Scriptures with a critical and catholic mind. Every word has a significance. The Bible is not a novel to be read in a few hours nor to be read without linking the Old and the New Testament or understanding the political or the biblical history. The Bible is a love story written by God to us. And Jesus Christ became man so we would know God.
PAPA has FACE ZBS--seeing the Face of Christ in the Bible, through Zoom. We learn how to critically think as a Catholic.
Join our FACE ZBS every Wednesday. Visit our website papamio.org and find out how to join FACE ZBS. We have videos of our sessions. View them and leave a comment.
Perhaps some day, people can say to us, "I know Jesus when I see you".
God Bless You
