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St. Francis Xavier Petoskey
This is the official Facebook page for St. Francis Xavier Church in Petoskey, Michigan.
21ST Sunday of the Ordinary Time. “Who do you say I am “
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks His disciples two very important questions: “Who do people say that I am?” And then, more personally, “But who do you say that I am?”
The first question is easier to answer. We can repeat what we have learned from Scripture, from our parents, from catechism, or from the Church. But then Jesus makes the question personal: “Who do you say that I am?”
Jesus is not simply asking for a definition or a theological answer. He is asking about our relationship with Him. Who is Christ for you?
Who is Jesus when nobody is looking? Who is He when life becomes difficult—when we face sickness, financial worries, family struggles, disappointment, loneliness, or uncertainty? And perhaps most painfully, who is Christ for us when we are grieving the death of someone we love?
It is easy to say, “Jesus is my Lord,” when everything is going well. The deeper question is: Who is Jesus when everything is not going well?
When we suffer, do we still believe He is with us? When we cannot understand what God is doing, do we still trust Him? When our prayers seem unanswered, do we continue to turn toward Him?
Peter answers: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” His answer is more than words. It is a declaration of faith: “Jesus, You are the One I choose to follow. You are the One in whom I place my life.”
Jesus tells Peter that this truth was revealed to him by the Father. Peter did not yet understand everything about Jesus or everything that following Him would require. His faith was still growing. Perhaps that is where we are too. We may have questions and struggles, but we continue to return to the fundamental question: Who is Jesus for me?
Today, Jesus asks each of us personally: “Who do you say that I am?”
Do not answer too quickly. Take that question home with you. Sit with it in prayer. Let it enter your heart.
And may our answer be more than something we say with our lips. May it become something we live with our lives:
“Jesus, You are my Lord. You are my hope. You are the One I trust, even when I do not understand. You are the One I turn to in my joy and in my suffering. You are the One who remains with me.”
Amen.
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If you would like to sign up for Faith Formation classes/Sacrament Prep classes now is the time!
Please follow this link to find the forms to sign up.
www.petoskeysfx.org/forms
Faith Formation classes are for grades 1 -5. These classes are for those not attending St. Francis school and want to grow in their faith.
Sacrament Prep classes are for grades 1 - 3. These are for students to prepare them for Reconciliation, Confirmation, and First Eucaharist.
If a child has moved to the area and not in these grade levels, we are more than happy to work with you!
Please contact us at ff@petoskeysfx.org with any questions.
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My dear brothers and sisters,
Today’s Gospel gives us a powerful picture of a mother’s love. A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus crying, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
Notice that she does not say, “Help me.” She says, “Help my daughter.”
This is the cry of a loving mother. When her child is suffering, she cannot remain silent. She searches, knocks, pleads, and keeps asking.
Even when Jesus seems silent, and even when the disciples want her sent away, she does not give up. She kneels before Jesus and says simply, “Lord, help me.”
Jesus finally tells her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter is healed.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we pray and God seems silent. Sometimes the answer seems to be “no.” We may be tempted to think that God does not hear us or does not care.
But today’s Gospel reminds us: Do not stop praying. God’s silence is not necessarily God’s absence.
The Canaanite woman teaches us that faith means trusting God even when we do not yet understand.
We can also think of Mary. At Cana, Mary brought a need to Jesus: “They have no wine.” At Calvary, she stood beneath the Cross while her Son suffered. She could not take away His suffering, but she did not leave Him.
The Canaanite woman gives us the cry of a mother. Mary gives us the faithful silence of a mother who remains. And Jesus assures us that neither our cries nor our faithful presence is invisible to God.
Perhaps today there is someone we have almost stopped praying for—someone whose situation seems impossible, or someone who seems far from God.
Do not give up.
Come before Jesus like the Canaanite woman. Kneel before Him and say with faith:
“Lord, help me.”
And trust that He hears you.
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