Daily Word Of God
Matthew 16:13-20
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to say to anyone that he was the Christ.
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- In today’s Gospel, as there was confusion about Jesus’ identity, He wants a personal affirmation from his apostles: “Who do you say I am?”
- Jesus is asking each of us this same question daily. What is your answer? Pray for strength and courage to remain committed to Jesus in spite of doubts and confusion in our daily living.
- When we trust Jesus totally and acknowledge Him to be our Lord and Master, He will give us the grace we need to help Him build His Kingdom on earth.