Daily Gospel Reflection for August 27, 2023

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

The conversation between Jesus and Peter can be summed up in one word: trust.

Jesus asks Peter,

“But who do you say that I am?”

In other words, Jesus is asking Peter, “Am I fully known to you?” When Peter can reply that he does indeed see Jesus for all that He is, Jesus trusts him completely with the keys to the kingdom. This is not the sort of trust where Jesus remains as a micro-manager, but the trust is so complete that “whatever [Peter] bind[s] on earth shall be bound in heaven.” Jesus trusts Peter to act in the name of the Lord.

What does this mean for our relationship with Jesus? Is He fully known to us? If we trust that Jesus is who He says He is, that knowing is powerful enough to change our lives and commission us as His disciples.

Jesus transformed humanity’s relationship with God from rules to relationship. Our faith is less about getting each individual action right and more a matter of clinging to the vision that Christ is Lord and that His truth is actually true! With that understanding, we can go forth doing the work of the kingdom with the hope, love, and certainty of our relationship with the Lord. In all the actions of our lives, we are lost without that relationship. Whether through a return to prayer, the sacrament of reconciliation, or surrendering to a perhaps daunting call in our lives, the constant work of restoring and renewing our relationship with Christ leads us forth to be His hands, feet, and voice on earth in such a powerful way that Jesus trusts us with our choices.

Ponder:

What do you need to restore in your relationship with Jesus to stand in the confidence that Jesus entrusted you fully with the mission of raising your children?

Pray:

Dear God, we humbly accept Your second, third, and hundredth chances to know You more fully. Guide our hearts to live as missionary disciples, grounded in Your trust and Your truth.

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If we trust that Jesus is Who He says He is, that knowing is powerful enough to change our lives and commission us as His disciples. #DailyGospel

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