Overview:

Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20)

Find today’s readings here.

When reading today’s Gospel passage, I stopped and asked myself how I would answer Jesus’s question, “But who do you say that I am?” From years of Catholic school and regularly attending Mass, of course, I know who Jesus is, but do I always speak and act in a way that honors who he really is and all that he teaches and promises?

When my prayer life is strong and things are going my way it is easy to reply the same way Peter did and state that Jesus is “the Christ of God.” However, when I don’t have Jesus at the forefront of my life, don’t make time for a meaningful relationship with him, I’m mired in life’s lows or my prayer life is struggling, I admit that I don’t put my unswerving trust in God.

Life’s challenges would be so much easier if Christ and faith could eliminate all of our struggles but, similar to Jesus, we all bear crosses. God’s love is revealed to us not only during the joyful times but also during times when we are struggling or experiencing pain. Don’t we all want the joys of Easter without the suffering of Good Friday?!

The end of this passage reminds us that Jesus endured rejection, suffering and death before ascending into the eternal kingdom. His death on the cross is not the end, it’s the beginning. I believe the same is true for each of us and that a whole new beginning awaits us upon our own earthly death.

If we follow in his footsteps and put Jesus at the center of our lives, through the triumphs and setbacks, then hopefully we too will enjoy eternal happiness with those who have gone before us. We must trust in Jesus as we carry our own crosses throughout this earthly journey. 

As you go about your day, think about how you would answer the question that Jesus posed, “But who do you say that I am?” Do you place unending trust in Jesus with your actions, words and prayer? Let’s all try to answer these questions in the same way Peter did in this passage and trust that our reward is waiting for us in heaven. 

Heather is America’s executive vice president.