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Home Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. February 19, 2009, Thursday Gospel: Who is Christ for YOU?
February 19, 2009, Thursday Gospel: Who is Christ for YOU? PDF Print E-mail
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Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009 07:23
I don't know how hurt you feel, how frustrated you are, or how the actions of others have damaged you. But I do know one thing: Whatever is happening in your life, God is there, and he is blessing you now!
 
Genesis 9:1-13
Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23

Mark 8:27-33 27 And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesare'a Philip'pi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" (28) And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Eli'jah; and others one of the prophets." (29) And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." (30) And he charged them to tell no one about him. (31) And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (32) And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. (33) But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."

Meditation by Alex Rödlach (Sociology and Anthropology Department - Creighton)

S ome years ago, my spiritual director asked me to meditate about images that summarize my understanding of Christ, or to say it differently, that express who Christ is for me and what kind of relationship I have with him. The time I spent thinking and praying during this spiritual exercise was rewarding and fulfilling. Various images came to my mind that were meaningful to me at this particular stage in my life. Dry and abstract doctrine became translated into tangible expressions of the "God-with-us."

I continued this exercise throughout the years and remember many images of Christ, which were important to me at various moments in my life: the nurturing parent, the reliable friend on my side, the strong advocate for the disadvantaged, the peacemaker, the "green" prophet, and so on. Some of the images seem quite contradictory, such as the image of the faithful friend and the one of the prophet who denounces injustice with harsh words. However, these images seem only contradictory when removed from the life-context in which they made sense. At times, the image of the advocate for the disadvantaged was the appropriate image of Christ. At another time, the image of the activist for an environmentally friendly living was fitting. Different situations ask for different images that highlight dimensions and aspects of Christ that are appropriate in a particular situation.

In today's Gospel, Christ asks his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They respond to him mentioning various prophets that represent important aspect of his mission, but nothing really captures how he understands himself. He tells them that he "must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days." Christ's self-image reflects the notions of suffering, death, and resurrection, something that does not go well with Peter. Peter's image of Christ does not include a suffering and dying Christ. For this he is criticized harshly by Christ, even addressed as "Satan"!

Sometimes I wonder if my images of Christ would not trigger a similar reaction of Christ. Perhaps, like Peter, I am "thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Perhaps I read something into Christ instead of listening to what he has to say about himself. For an answer to this startling question, we can turn to the Church. We know Christ through our Church's tradition, particularly the Sacred Scriptures. By comparing our images with images of God in the Old Testament and of Christ in the New Testament with our images and by comparing the biblical context of these images with the context in which our images of God are situated, we can discern if our images of Christ are appropriate.

The first reading of today from the book of Genesis provides us with a powerful image of a faithful God who established an eternal covenant with his people and with every living being! He will not revoke the covenant, even when we ignore this covenant, when we create images of God that have nothing to do with him, when we think as humans do and not as God does.


Supplementary Reading: God is Blessing You Now

"May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." - Ruth 2:12

It's not always easy to see the blessings of God as they unfold.

Are you going through a tough time? Do you sometimes find yourself wondering what happened-how you got to this awful point in your life? Perhaps you find yourself looking back on "the good ol' days" that were filled with promise and hope, and wondering exactly where it was that things went wrong.

Maybe financial problems are crowding in on you. Perhaps you've lost someone you loved. Maybe you're sick and in continuous pain. Or maybe you're just tired of fighting your way upstream against a raging current.

I don't know how hurt you feel, how frustrated you are, or how the actions of others have damaged you. But I do know one thing: Whatever is happening in your life, God is there, and he is blessing you now!
 


* * *
Some of God's ideas at times seem backwards-like this one for instance: Give thanks and praise God when you're lonely, frustrated, disappointed or confused. The surprise is that God's way always produces positive results in our hearts and minds. Feeling down today? Give in to praise and watch what God delivers!
* * *
 

Devotions taken from the
"Power for Life Daily Devotional."
 
GOD BLESS US ALL!
Many who plan to seek God at the 11th hour, die at 10:30    -Unknown
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 February 2009 10:49
 

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