In Your Midst

September 28, 2007

Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work! For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts. This is the pact that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, And my spirit continues in your midst; do not fear! Haggai 2:4-5

Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God." Luke 9:20

Piety

Jesus, open your spirit and help me renew the face of the earth. You exhort me to work and I will respond to your request. Come to me and reveal yourself to me. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/092807.shtml

Identity. How do we get our identity?

Sometimes our first identity comes from our relationships. Ruth’s son. Salvatore’s daughter. Joe’s brother. Tony’s sister. Hunter’s father. Stephanie’s mother. My friend.

People begin to get to know us by starting with someone else that they know.

Then a relationship might begin to sprout. When that happens, people’s knowledge of us grows deeper. People get to know our character and the spirit with which we live our lives. Jeff likes baseball. Katie plays the piano. Every facet of our being that is revealed helps people to establish a more meaningful relationship with us and find common ground.

This is not a mere academic exercise. Jesus is asking Peter and you, “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter can answer in confidence because he has walked the planet with Jesus for three years. He has witnessed miracles and ritual stonings. He has seen amazing cures and destroyed many demons. He has seen sins forgiven and virtues atoned for. Jesus has seen it all and now he will experience the worst of Roman law. Can we answer with confidence who Jesus is in our lives?

Nothing is easy.

Action

How can our relationship with Jesus grow and approach the depth of the relationship Jesus has with Peter? We learn about Peter through his talks and his interactions with others. We can learn about Jesus by what we read. We can learn about Jesus through the pictures that have survived after his time.

How are you getting to know Jesus?

· From his speeches and what he said…

· From what he asked us to do…

· From the things he did…and the things he failed to do…

· From the words other people spoke about him…

· From the words written down by the apostles and the writers of the Epistles…

· From what is revealed to us during prayer…

· From the lessons we learn when we take action based upon the gospel…

Imagine Jesus posing that same question to us that he posed to Peter. Are you prepared to answer him? to get to know him? Jesus knows us…but do we really know Jesus? Now is the best time to start.