Friday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
“Who do you say that I am?” Peter correctly grasps the heart of the matter: “The Messiah of God.” Peter sees that Jesus is not a figure about whom we can be neutral. Why? Because if Jesus is who he says he is, then, we must give our whole selves to him. If we profess Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, then, we must live our lives according to this profession. Jesus as our Lord and Messiah must affect and influence all our thoughts and ideas, all our choices and decisions, all our attitudes and behaviors, all our words and deeds, all our values and priorities, all our works and activities.
If we really consider Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” we cannot put him inside the cabinet and just take him out when it is convenient for us to do so. We cannot confine him in just one area of our life. We must allow him to be the Lord of our whole life. We must allow him to dominate every part, every aspect, every dimension of our lives – not just our religious and spiritual life, but also our social, political, economic, and professional life We cannot allocate just one hour a week for him and spend the rest of our time to our projects and interests. We must devote every moment of our life to him. We must strive to make our every minute as our gift to God. We cannot give him just half of our heart, mind, and strength and the other half to our other concerns and preoccupations. We must give our whole selves to him. Our whole heart, mind, and strength must be focused and devoted to sharing in the life and mission of Christ.
Jesus invites all of us to come to know him in prayer. The Lord has already worked wonders in our lives, yet, in his generosity, he wants to give us much more. In prayer, we realize the great things Jesus has done for us; therefore, our hearts are filled with gratitude and joy. In prayer, we become aware of Jesus’ abiding presence; therefore, we are consoled that we are not alone. In prayer, we come to know Jesus as the Master of our life; therefore, we are assured that he has a plan for each of us. In prayer, we allow Jesus to empower and inspire us; therefore, we become effective ministers of the Gospel. Let the Jesus we come to know in intimate prayer lead us to glorifying God by our life.
Parokya ni Osong 