Who do you say that I am?

Matthew 16: 13-20 tells first, about a divine revelation and second, about one of the most important appointments in the history of the world. The events take place in Caesarea Philippi, shortly after the miracle of the multiplication of bread and fish.

There, our Lord acknowledges His divinity and then, announces that a fisherman, named Simon, was destined to lead the Church here on Earth.

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Jesus asked His disciples. And they merely echoed what they heard from others. I can almost imagine a bunch of 6 and 7-year-old pre-schoolers in the classroom, excitedly shouting out their answers, each one hoping to confirm that they got it right.

Christ must have felt that, even though His disciples had been with Him for quite some time, listening to His teachings and witnessing His miracles, they were still affected by the “noise of the world” when it came to His real identity. Could it be that they were still clueless about the man they were following? Jesus wanted first, to draw out what His friends had heard from sources outside their circle.

Then, the follow up question, one that was more personal: “But who do you say that I am?”

In my mind, Jesus must have put emphasis on the word YOU. Maybe at that moment, there was silence for just a few seconds. And then, Simon makes a bold declaration, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus acknowledges his answer by saying, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My heavenly Father.”

By “flesh and blood”, Christ was referring to mere mortals, ordinary folks. Simon was just a lowly fisherman, as ordinary as ordinary gets. Furthermore, by human standards, Simon had zero leadership qualities! He would later on deny any association with the arrested Jesus, just when the latter needed a friend and ally the most, clearly the mark of a coward and a deserter.

But of course, our Lord already knew these things.

Yet, at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus declared to Simon, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

As I reflect on this gospel, I am reminded of the late American preacher, Brennan Manning, who said that when we die, Jesus would ask us: “When you were still on Earth, did you live in the belief that My love for you is everlasting and unconditional?”

It was only through God’s grace that Jesus’s real identity was revealed to Simon Peter. That same grace would, years later, be wholly responsible for Simon Peter’s transformation―so that he would become the foundation upon which Christ built His church.

If we allow God’s grace to transform us, to heal us, and to bless us, only then will we be able to live our lives fully and abundantly.

Image courtesy of sharefaith.com

Stay, Pray, Share

A few weeks ago, at the Feast Alabang, Fr. Jade Licuanan gave us three life lessons that I believe everyone should take to heart.

Stay. In Matthew 14:31-21, the evangelist recounts how, after a long day of ministering to a large number of people, Jesus's disciples thought it best to tell the multitude to go home because it was already getting dark. The disciples were actually more concerned that this was a faraway place and there was nowhere to even buy food. But Jesus tells them to have the crowd stay.

In difficult times, do we trust that God will see us through? He bids us to stay in His love, to not be troubled by the onset of darkness in our lives, to not count on our own abilities, not even on what the world offers because all too often, what the world offers are quick fixes that go against Christ's teachings.

The truth is that, Jesus did not promise an easy life for those who choose to follow Him. Instead, we are invited to stay. Stay and become witnesses to what our Heavenly Father can do to change our circumstances, however hopeless and impossible they may seem.

Pray. Jesus prayed over what was presented to Him, even though His friends could only come up with two fishes and five loaves for the 5,000 men, not counting the women and children, whom Jesus asked to stay, sit back, relax, and wait to be fed. Talk about hopeless circumstances!

But did that daunt Jesus? Not one bit! While His friends were all starting to worry, He showed them what prayer, coupled with unwavering faith, could do. He then said, “Thank You, Father,” and proceeded to hand out the food that multiplied and multiplied, until everyone had their fill. And remember, there was a surplus that filled 12 wicker baskets.

Our prayers are heard by an all-powerful and loving Father, who not only meets our needs, but provides more than what we ask for!

Share. I often wonder, “In this particular story, why was there such a great overflow?” Couldn’t Jesus have prayed for just enough bread and fish? So what happened to the 12 baskets that day? Did everyone have leftovers for breakfast the following morning?

Well, there was no further mention in the gospel regarding that but I'd like to think that the extra may have been distributed, as well, to the crowd. Why? Because Jesus wanted to give them one final lesson as they went their separate ways: we are blessed so that, in turn, we too can bless others!

May we always choose to stay in God’s love, to pray with expectant faith, and to share whatever with which we have been blessed.

Image courtesy of: http://www.bethefew.com/

Twisted Conscience

During the first talk of the Feast series, Your Toughest Questions Answered: What Is God’s Will For Me, our Saturday Feast Alabang preacher, Bro James Nicolas, showed the text of an email that was sent to Light of Jesus Family founder, Bro Bo Sanchez. It read:

"… I am having an affair with a married man;

We deeply love each other;

But his wife is not letting go of him;

Please help me pray that my husband (sic)

finally separates from his wife..."

At that moment, old and familiar feelings of uneasiness and total disgust came rushing back to me. The email reminded me of someone in that same situation and, as I read the message again, I wondered, “Could it actually be her who sent it?”

The beginning…

He was already successful in his career when they first met; a rising star – very talented and hardworking. This young man was part of middle management in their organization and, to his superiors, he still showed huge potential.

She was equally ambitious. But her means did not exactly follow any standard career path because she decided that she wanted to take a shortcut. And her plans involved him. She was determined to become part of his success … as well as his life.

What made her scheme all the more devious was the fact that she knew he was a family man, happily married and with kids.

According to Bro James, one of the ways that God speaks to us is through our conscience. Everybody has one, but it’s important to know that our conscience needs to be “plugged in” to God’s word so that it can serve its purpose. Otherwise, it becomes useless, much like a mobile phone with a drained battery.

It was during one of the company gatherings that she got her chance. In the midst of all the merrymaking, when the object of her desire was already inebriated, she made her move and, in that careless, alcohol-induced moment, her plan was thus set in motion.

She told him of her plan to approach top management with a conjured story if he did not agree to be with her. He said yes because his career was at stake. He said yes … in exchange for blissful family life.

Four decades later, already retired, he still shuttles back and forth between his real family and her. It is a difficult, complicated life. His wife and children now know the truth but, in spite of all the hurt, they still love him as husband and father.

Some time ago, he became very sick. Different tests showed the same findings – cancer. His family thought it would make him decide to come back and stay with them for good but, to their dismay, it did not.

If we do not make conscious efforts to avoid the path of sin, the time will come when we will have a hideously distorted sense of right and wrong.

The end?

Sadly, she goes on living the same dreadful lie, with him, up to this very day.

God wants us to be happy. But happiness can never come from selfish desires that leave others in pain. This story is far from over. Even as I feel sad, I believe our Heavenly Father’s mercy will make all things right in the end.

*This piece was originally written in October 2013

**The Feast is a weekly celebration of God's unconditional love. It started in Manila, The Philippines and is organized by the Light of Jesus Family. The Light of Jesus Family is a Catholic community led by best-selling author and preacher, Bo Sanchez.