Dear Holy Trinity Family,

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks His disciples a question that is just as important for us as it was for them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds with faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter’s confession reminds us that Christianity is not simply about following a set of teachings or belonging to an institution. At the heart of our faith is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything we do as the Church flows from knowing Him, loving Him, and proclaiming Him.

The Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium reminds us that Christ established the Church as His Body and entrusted her with the mission of bringing His saving presence to the world. Through the Church, Christ continues to gather His people, nourish us through the Sacraments, and send us forth to be His witnesses.

Jesus also gives Peter the “keys of the Kingdom,” reminding us that the Church is built upon the apostolic faith and entrusted with a sacred responsibility. We are not merely spectators in that mission. By our Baptism, each of us shares in the Church’s vocation to make Christ known.

So perhaps the Lord’s question deserves our own personal answer this week: 

Who is Jesus Christ for me? May our prayer, our worship, and our daily lives give the same answer as Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

On a personal note please keep me in your prayers as I will be spending this week up in Menlo Park for a New Pastors/Administrators seminar. You will all be in my prayers during this seminar and I will be returning on August 31.

- Fr. Jonathan