Posted on September 10, 2021 View all News
Dear brothers and sisters,
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus poses two questions to his apostles. The questions are simple: “Who do people say that I am?” And “who do you say that I am?” (Mc.8, 27-30). From their answer, He will know if His disciples have already realized that He is the Son of God. Peter is the only one who risks answering with divine inspiration but with unconditional love and security. “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God” (Mc.8, 29). Peter’s confession makes Jesus appoint him as head of the Church and as a bridge of mediation between God and men. Jesus’ question to His disciples is addressed to every one of us today because the word of God is always alive; that is why all of us who confess Jesus as the Son of God must transform our lives from its values and criteria. It is not worth confessing it with your mouth and contradicting with your life what we affirm with words. The mission of the entire Church consists of announcing Christ as Savior, and as Redeemer, as Son of God who has sent the Father to this world to announce His kingdom, so that human beings can come to know Him, meet Him, proclaim Him as the Son of God, as our God and Lord, transforming our lives and converting ourselves to what the Lord asks of us. That is why we call ourselves Christians, and we have to ask ourselves this question a thousand times: who is Jesus for me? And hopefully, the answer is like Peter’s, not only in words but also in deeds.
On another topic, I want to welcome all the children of the Religious Education program that this Sunday begin classes. I ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit so that they can learn and know more about Jesus, they are the future of the Church, and therefore we must form them in the faith to the best of our ability. I thank the volunteers who agreed to be catechists. It is a beautiful ministry and, at the same time, a great responsibility. God bless you for lending your lips to proclaim the gospel to these little ones. Welcome, and may it be a very fruitful year!
Also, I remind you that next weekend we will have our Ministry Fair, all our groups and ministries will have a table to give information about the charisms of their ministry. It will be a festival of parish pastoral ministry. I ask you not to become indifferent and stop by the tables to learn about the pastoral richness of our parish. The ministries and apostolic groups are the presence of the Holy Spirit in our parish, and as baptized, we must participate and be active members within the Church and especially our parish. I hope you enjoy and live this “Fair of Faith.” At the same time, I invite those responsible for the ministries to contact the office to reserve a space and announce it to your ministry or group.
Finally, I ask that we continue to pray for the health of all those sick brothers and sisters in the parish, especially those infected with the virus. Help me to pray for them so that they recover their health soon. In particular, I always keep them present in my prayers and at daily Holy Mass. Therefore, let us come together by praying and interceding for one another.
In Jesus and Mary.
Fr. Alex