Who Is Jesus For Me?

 

 

 Matthew 16:13-23

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 Jesus chides Peter for his over-confident proclamation of loyalty, reminding him and all of us that we can't put our thoughts or desires before those of God. "you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Peter had just made his outstanding declaration of faith in Jesus and received his commission as the "rock" on which Jesus would build his church, yet his human weakness made him ever vulnerable to mistakes and failures, as we know in our own lives. Peter's confession of faith and his display of over confidence give us pause and beg us to look at our own relationship with Jesus.  
Who is he for me?

Bro.Rene

Dear Jesus, deepen my relationship with you and help me to serve you with good deeds and not merely in words. Amen. 

Praying With Faith

 

 

 

 

 Matthew 15:21-28

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

 

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus commends this pleading mother for her faith; our tendency, like that of the disciples, might have been to send her away. We learn the power of persistence in prayer as well as the kindness of Jesus. In this scene, he's in no hurry to heal this young woman, but neither can he easily dismiss her mother. She believes he can cure her daughter and will not leave until he does.  Her faith is the key; it prevails and the daughter is cured.  Do we have this faith, this persistence or do we give up when our request is not answered the first time we ask?  Let us spend time reviewing the way we pray and present our needs to Jesus, as well as looking at the depth or shallowness of our faith.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, increase my faith and help me to believe that you can and will grant my requests. Amen.

 

Listen To Him

 

 

 Mark 9:2-10

The Transfiguration

² After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

What was it like on Tabor that day? Suddenly Jesus appeared in another, we say, "glorified form", where his Divinity was evident as never before and wouldn't be till after his resurrection.  This was a foretaste of the glory that was and was to come.  Not your ordinary carpenter, healer, or preacher for this instant, but the glorious Son of God! We pause in wonder and adoration with Peter, James and John. May our prayer this day be on Tabor with them and boost our weak and questioning hearts with the assurance that Jesus, the Son of God, is with us always.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and are calling me to be transfigured into one of your faithful disciples. Amen.

 

God Provides

 

Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Note:  There was no slice of Daily Bread yesterday because my source, Faith ND, did not appear in my inbox.This threw me off, but going to bed last night I thought of a way I could have delivered the slice without the help of Faith ND.  Next time! 

How could that small amount of loaves and fishes feed so many? "Nothing is impossible with God." (Lk 1: 37)   We fret over the smallest things and forget that  the Jesus who performed this miracle can certainly take care of my needs, as essential or petty as they may be. God knows our needs and provides for them;

We celebrate the optional memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St, Mary Major, the oldest church dedicated to Mary. This day is also referred to as Our Lady of the Snows, for as the story goes. snow fell in Rome on this day in mid-summer to indicate the location and size of this basilica.  Eight weeks ago, my friend Joseph Lamontagne and I were in this very church! Anything is possible with our loving God.  May we be open to him as he feeds us and treats us beyond our wildest imaginations. What miracle awaits us this day?

Bro. Rene

Dear God you provide for the construction of basilicas as well as the growth of my spiritual and physical life. May I grow to trust in your loving care more and more. Amen.

Giving Up Life for the Truth

 

 

 Matthew 14:1-12

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, ² and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³ Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ⁴ for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

⁶ On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much ⁷ that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. ¹² John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

A terrible story of jealousy, fear and vindictiveness. John the Baptist was not a  man to be silenced and even from his prison cell he posed a threat to Herod and Herodias. Killing him eliminated his voice but the truth could not be buried. Over the centuries martyrs have sacrificed their lives as they spoke out for the truth. Do we have their courage and conviction?  How are we even in small things? I'd say we all need a dose of "John Juice" to give us the backbone to speak out against wrong and promote what is right. John, help us!

Bro. Rene

Dear God, strengthen my faith and give me courage to speak out against evil.  Amen.

When Faith Is Lacking

 

 Matthew 13:54-58

 Rejected In His Own Town

⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

We might be surprised or feel bad to read of this poor reception, this lack of enthusiasm for the "hometown boy", but even today it is often the case. People get hung up on the messenger and reject the message. Picture that "bratty kid" who undergoes a major conversion, becomes a priest and returns to serve his home parish.  He might be acclaimed and accepted for the major "turn around". or he might be haunted by his past and the "I remember when" attitude of his parishioners.  The mission of Jesus was stymied in his hometown by the latter. Where do I stand with regard to those who come to minister, to teach, to carry the Word of God to us?  Let us pray for openness to the bearer of the message as well as to the message itself.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, let my heart be open to your Word and not be put off by the one who preaches it. Amen.

 

Separating The Good From The Bad

 

 Matthew 13:47-53

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.

As we grow older and wiser, we hope, we begin to see things in a different light.  What was important or "essential at one time is no longer relevant to us now.  We don't need them anymore. And some things, habits, "time wasters" that creep into our internet inboxes, definitely need to go, especially if  we are allowing let them to continue clogging minds or diverting us from prayer, good reading or good works. Can we discard them and make room for what is pertinent to us today? It's hard to part with things that bring back happy memories but if they are just taking up space, we need to take a deep breath and make some hard decisions. 

Bro. Rene

Dear God, help me to discard the non-essentials from my life and keep the essentials. Amen.