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Vocation Meditation -
August 21, 2011
Used with permission from ChristianComputerArt.Com
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Although Simon Peter answers the question posed by the Lord, it is important to note that it is a question that Christ asked all the disciples who were with Him.
In the same way, without restriction, it was and is a question that He asks each of us.
In order to discern and determine how we are to spend our life, we first need to respond to Christ's invitation to accept Him as the Son of God... the God who became human, who sacrified Himself on the Cross, and who now provides Himself perpetually as supernatural food.
Without such an acknowledgement and acceptance, we will expend all of our energy on the things of this world, without any direction and with little profit.
With a firm "You are the Christ", we set our hearts and minds before the Lord, who will direct us on the path that leads to Him and eternal happiness.
Vocation Challenge:
"But who do you say that I am?"
Have I said my personal "You are the Christ" and allowed the Lord to start leading me in the direction He wishes to lead me?
Dear Lord,
I am directionless without You. Give me the grace to say, as Simon Peter did, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", so that I may follow You with all my heart and You will shepherd me and lead me to Heaven.
For the full Gospel reading for this Sunday, visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops site.