Today we hear Jesus ask his disciples what word was out in the public was about him. “Who do people say I am?” The disciples gave him the different versions of what they heard people thought he was. The question he asked though was a leading question. It was meant to lead the disciples to reflect on what they thought about Jesus. “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter appropriately answered that Jesus was the "Christ of God.” – The Anointed One, the Messiah.
Who Do They Say You Are
Buried deep inside that question is also the question “Who do people say YOU are?” Is each one of us not meant to be a reflection of Christ, his message and his values? By the mark of our baptism, in us others are meant to see Christ. When Christ walked our world, he was known as the just one, the generous one, the prayerful one, the forgiving one, the listening one, the humble one, the wise one, the loving one, the caring one. These are marks of those who bear Christ in their hearts and their lives.
The Work of a Saint
Today we are celebrating a great Saint – Vincent De Paul, a defender of the poor and the abandoned, and patron of Catholic charities. Here was a saint who gave food to the hungry, provided water to the thirsty, dressed those who needed to be clothed, sheltered the homeless, visited the sick, the imprisoned, and buried the dead who otherwise wouldn’t find dignified farewell. These acts of charity are concrete ways for us to be Christ to other people. Through these corporal works of mercy, people get to meet Christ through us. They get to meet the one who was kind, was generous, was just, and was caring.
Being Christ to Others
Many years ago while working in a parish, I was invited to visit someone who was very sick and had been bed-ridden for a while. I arrived at dusk with one of the parish leaders to pray and give Holy Communion. The lady we were visiting was poor, lived alone, and now she was down with sickness. When we showed up it had become dark and when we tried to enter her little house, she was so poor she didn’t even have a candle, even a wax candle. It was all dark and we could hear was her voice in the room. The parish leader had to run to a convenience store to buy a candle while I stayed outside waiting. When he returned, we prayed together, gave her Holy Communion, and she asked if we could find her some food – which we did. The following day we returned and picked her up in our parish truck and took her to the hospital to get some treatment. Later she recovered and was up and running and more active in the church than even before.
Sometimes it is only through the charitable activities that we do that people will ever get to know who Christ is and how much He loves and cares for them. We can ask ourselves today: In what practical ways like what Saint Vincent DePaul did can I make Christ more known in my family and in my community?
May the good Lord grant us the needed grace to see, to hear, and to reach out to those on the margins of society.
- Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and Rosary) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
