WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? Know Christ. Choose Christ. Serve Christ.

Dear Friends, this weekend Jesus asks His disciples and us the most important question we will ever answer: ”Who do you say that I am?” There was silence. Then Peter spoke: ”You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” That confession changes everything. Peter was not just giving Jesus a title. He was giving Him his life and loyalty. In joy, Jesus commissions Peter: ”I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Using this paradigm let us explore our Christian journey.

First, we are called to know Christ. Recall St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” There’s a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. To know Him is to let Him into our decisions, relationships, and daily life. Knowing Christ makes us slower to condemn and quicker to forgive. We grow in Him through reading Scripture, the Saints, prayer, Mass, and Adoration. As St. John Chrysostom said, “If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the door, you will not find Him in the chalice.” Knowing Jesus is the act of the heart, not just the head.

That knowledge leads us to choose Christ. Placing God at the centre of our life is supreme. This is not a one-time decision at Baptism. It is a daily decision. We choose Christ when we choose truth over convenience, faithfulness over betrayal, forgiveness over revenge, generosity over selfishness, prayer over despair, and integrity when no one is watching. Like St. Thomas More who declared, ”I am the King’s good servant, but God’s first,” choosing Christ sometimes costs us a lot in the short term but rewarding in the long run. Think of a Financial Secretary who once found a supplier had refunded the parish twice. No one noticed. She returned it. Months later, that supplier became one of the parish's most generous donors. Thus, Integrity builds trust, and trust opens doors money cannot.

Finally, choosing Christ leads us to serve Christ. To Peter, Jesus gave the keys. The key is a symbol of service, not domination. As St. Gregory the Great taught, ”The office of leadership is nothing other than the office of service.” St. Paul reminds us that all things come from God; our talents, families, and resources; so we are called to be good stewards. God has placed a key in everyone’s hands: parents for their families, teachers for students, grandparents for the next generation, leaders for the parish, priests for God’s people, and each Christian through our gifts. What are we doing with the keys? Do we open doors or shut them? Serving Christ is often simple: visiting the lonely, encouraging the discouraged, feeding the hungry, welcoming the excluded, listening, and helping a young person discover faith.

This week: Choose one “key” God has given you, could you use it to open one door for someone.