Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Luke 9: 18-22
September 26, 2025 | Friday

Today’s Gospel

One day, when Jesus was praying alone, not far from his disciples, he asked them, “What do people say about me?” And they answered, “Some say, that you are John the Baptist; others say, that you are Elijah; and still others, that you are one of the prophets of old, risen from the dead.” Again Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” Then Jesus spoke to them, giving them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. And he added, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and chief priests and teachers of the law, and be put to death. Then after three days he will be raised to life.”

Today’s Reflection

Who is Jesus for us? This is a question that many of us should ask ourselves. To this, many of us respond, Jesus is my friend, my brother, my Savior, my companion, my guide, and so on and so forth. However, we have to be careful in our perception of who Jesus is. There is the danger that instead of allowing Jesus to be who He is, we instead imprison Him within the framework or the context that we choose for ourselves. We do not allow him anymore to be who he is: the Messiah of God. When this happens, we become piecemeal Christians. When what He teaches supports our belief system, we welcome Him. But when He teaches us contrary to our preference, we move away from Him. For many people nowadays, the Church, whose ministry is to proclaim the message of Jesus, is an outdated institution that cannot move on from its archaic teachings. But that is not the case. The Church stands by what Jesus is and proclaims who Jesus is. He is the Messiah. He is the Lord. And instead of sculpting him to our liking, the message is clear: follow Jesus, not the other way around, making Jesus follow us. May we have the courage to stand by and with Jesus, and may we all have the humility to submit to Jesus’ will and be docile in His teachings.

/Vulnerasti, 2025