Presence

The peace of God is the treasure of treasures, “the pearl of great price” – Lord, may I experience this peace right now, in Your holy presence.

Freedom

Lord you gave me life and the gift of freedom.
Through Your Love I exist in this world.
May I never take the gift of life for granted.
May I always respect the right to life of others.

Consciousness

Knowing that God loves me unconditionally,
I can afford to be honest about how I am.
How has the last day been, and how do I feel now?
I share my feelings openly with the Lord.

The Word of God

¹³Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Inspiration

Peter answers for the disciples ‘that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God’. Only God can reveal God to us and so Jesus praises his Father for revealing this to Peter. The question that Jesus asks of his disciples, ‘But you, who do you say I am?’ is one of the key questions that Jesus asks of all his followers. Who am I for you? What do I mean to you? Let us answer this question now in our prayer to the Lord. 

As we reflect and pray on this question, we can ask ourselves, ‘Do I really like Jesus?’ which is another way of asking, ‘How well do I know him?’ We can only love someone we know, and we are all called to love Jesus and to follow him. Although we can never understand God, we can come to know and love him through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Conversation

What word or phrase has caught my attention from today’s Gospel? I ask the Lord what He wants to say to me through this word…

Conclusion

I thank God for His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen