“ If you want Christ to love you and help you, you must love Him

       and always make every endeavour to please Him. “

 

2 Corinthians 5:9, Paul says, “So then whether we are at home or away from the body,

we make it our aim, or we have the ambition, to please Christ.”

My ambition… I would love the honor of pleasing Christ every moment of my life.

 

St. Cajetan, priest 

St. Sixtus II, pope,　and companions, martyrs

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Numbers 20:1-13*

The whole congregation of Israel

Came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month and the people stayed in Kadesh.

Miriam died and was buried there. Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered together against Moses and Aaron.

They disputed with Moses saying, "Would that we had perished with our kinsmen in the presence of the Lord!

 

(...) Moses and Aaron fled from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared and the Lord spoke to Moses, "Take your rod and assemble the community, you and Aaron, your brother.

In their presence command the rock to give forth water and you will make water gush from the rock for the community and their livestock to drink."

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as he had been ordered.

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock and said to them, "Listen, you rebels.

Shall we bring water for you from this rock?" Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod.

 

And then water in abundance gushed out for the community and their livestock to drink.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "You did not trust me nor treat me as the Holy One in the sight of the Israelites;

because of that you shall not lead this community into the land that I am giving you."

It was at the waters of Meribah that the sons of Israel quarreled with the Lord and where he showed his holiness to them.

 

Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊

Matthew 16:13-23

After that, Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They said, "For some of them, you are John the Baptist; for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

Jesus asked them, "But you, who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

And now I say to you: You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.

 

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven."

Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. From that day, Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem;

that he would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the law; and that he would be killed and be raised on the third day.

Then Peter took him aside and began to reproach him, "Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to you!"

But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path. You are thinking not as God does, but as people do."

      

Gospel Reflection ：

"You are the Messian.

Our sources of media nowadays are flooded with conflicting opinion and fake news, sometimes leaving us wondering who to trust.

But truth is always supported by facts, and so, to show that our statements are reliable, we provide evidence. Likewise,

we use a variety of methods to prove someone's identity, including the testimony of a close relative.

Today's Gospel describes the rumours about Jesus that were circulating at the time. The people give conflicting opinions,

but they lack solid evidence. So, Jesus asks his disciples. Will they be able to say something true and reliable about him?

Will they be able to recognize who he is? Peter replies, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

 

He is telling the reliable truth, which is not based upon the opinion of flesh and blood, that is, of other people,

but on the testimony of God the Father himself, through a personal revelation.

Our acceptance of Jesus as Son of God is built upon the testimony given by the apostles and by Christ himself in his miracles, his teaching,

and his death and resurrection. This is the evidence. So, who do you say the Son of Man is?