Weekly thoughts on the Sunday Gospel, readings or a topic...

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seeing your life through the lens of the gospels  
– Matthew 16:13-19
1. This marks a turning point in the life of Jesus, and of the disciples. It is the first time that his disciples recognise him as the Messiah. Recall turning points in your own life when you came to some deeper understanding of who Jesus is.
2. ‘Who do you say that I am?’ This is possibly the most important question that Jesus puts to us. In your heart of hearts, how do you answer this question?
3. Jesus praises Peter for his faith and comments that this was not his own doing but a gift of God. Perhaps there have been times when you have been more than usually conscious that faith is a gift. Be thankful for the gift you have received.
4. These are troubled times for the Church and the promise of Jesus that ‘the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it’ are an encouragement. What helps you to draw strength from this promise of Jesus? What signs of hope do you see in the Church today?  
– John Byrne, OSA

The Deep End
‘Christ asks for a home in your soul, where he can be at rest with you, where he can talk easily to you, where you and he, alone together, can laugh and be silent and be delighted with one another.’ (Caryll Houselander)
There is something very exciting about really getting to know someone. Whether it’s talking to a like-minded new friend, or the first flush of romantic love, there is nothing like the thrill of getting close to someone and enjoying their company, discovering who they are and being truly ourselves with them.
Today, Jesus asks an important question: ‘Who do you say I am?’ He sets up the question by first asking the disciples: ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ He gets answers based on the gossip and chatter about him: ‘John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets.’ But then Jesus gets to the heart of the matter with the burning question: ‘But you, who do you say I am?’ He knows that his disciples know him better than anyone, and so it proves to be, when Peter immediately answers: ‘You are the Christ.’ There is an intimacy and a confidence in this response, based on the time they have spent together and the close and loving relationship between them.
Jesus asks us that same question today: ‘But you, who do you say I am?’ The ‘but you’ is crucial. He is not asking what we have heard about him. Of course, we learn about Jesus from the Scriptures. Most of us have been learning about Jesus ever since we were children, listening to stories and parables in school or at home. But do we know him? Do we pray and talk and spend time with him? Perhaps we could reflect in the coming days on this question: Who is Jesus, to you?  – Tríona Doherty

(from Intercom)