Word of the day

1 PT 5:1-4

Beloved:
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

MT 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply, 
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

To respond to that question which we all hear in our hearts — Who is Jesus for us? — what we have learned and studied in the Catechism does not suffice. Certainly, it is important to study and to know it, but it is not enough. For, in order to know him truly, we need to travel the path that Peter travelled (…). At a certain point Peter denied Jesus, he betrayed Jesus. That is when he learned the difficult science — which is more wisdom than science — of tears, of weeping.(…) The question posed to Peter — Who am I for you? — within the context of a long journey, after having travelled a long path. A path of grace and of sin. It is the disciple’s path. In fact, following Jesus enables us to know Jesus. To follow Jesus through our virtues and also through our sins. Always following Jesus!. What is needed is not a study of notions but rather a life as a disciple. (…) Looking at Jesus, Peter and the other apostles, let us in our hearts ask this question: 'Who am I for you?’. As disciples, let us ask the Father to grant us a deeper knowledge of Christ, and let us ask the Holy Spirit to explain to us this mystery. (Santa Marta, Feb 20, 2014)