August 23, 2026.
“‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah…’. ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon…. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it’.“ (Matthew 16, 13-18)
Jesus’ question to his disciples about people’s opinion of Him seems as recent as the polls constantly made in a society such as ours, subject to the wishes of the majority. But, in reality, what God wants to know is what each one of us thinks of Him.
Jesus asks us directly: “Who am I for you?“. And he is not satisfied with an answer by the book, theoretical and rhetorical. It is useless to say: “You are first in my life”, if afterwards, in practice, television is more important – to tell by the number of hours spent in front of it versus the limited number of minutes devoted to be with God praying – or work or fun.
Just when we realize, with deeds not words, the rule of God in our lives, only then God can entrust us with the task of evangelizing, of being his witnesses, of being solid rocks on which to build its Church. In the meantime, regardless our qualities or the need there may be, He cannot count on people for whom God is just one more thing and sometimes even less. God needs you, but to be able to entrust you with the work he has assigned you he wants first place in your heart. If He cannot do it, it is your fault.
Intention: This week compare the time devoted to prayer and charity with the one spent in front of the television. If God is first, pray more and go more to church.