27 August 2017
Isaiah 22:19 – 23
Romans 11:33 – 36
Matthew 16:13 – 20
“Who do you say I am ?”…
We know Peter’s inspirational response – ‘You are the Son of the living God’.
We know the varied opinions of those who met the historical Jesus from Nazareth – ‘John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets’.
But you! Who do you say He is?
We too have varied opinions about Him and may even relate only to a historical Jesus of Nazareth who died 2000 years ago. Or like St. Paul, do you recognise and believe in a Risen Christ. If not, then ‘your faith is useless and my preaching is in vain’.
The risen Christ enables us to reach into the very depths of God which St. Paul refers to in his letter to the Romans. In seeing the person of the Christ we see the nature of God. Christ told his followers ‘if you have seen Me you have seen the Father. The Father and I are one’.
Knowing Christ enables us to plummet the depths of God’s wisdom and knowledge. To come to an understanding of God’s motives and methods. All this while still recognising our dependency on Him. Knowing our place in relation to Him. As St. Paul reminds us today – “who could ever be His counsellor? Who could ever give Him anything or lend Him anything? All that exists comes from Him, all is by Him and for Him. To Him be glory for ever! Amen.”
Fr Tom Fenlon SMA, SMA House, Claregalway