Friday 9/25/2020 Live Stream Mass at St. Monica Catholic Church

Thank you for joining the St. Monica’s Live Stream Mass for Friday 9/25/2020

Readings for Friday 9/25/2020

Reading 1

There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without man’s ever discovering,
from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 144:1B AND 2ABC, 3-4

R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days, like a passing shadow.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Alleluia

MK 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Who Do You Say That I Am?

“Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” Luke 9:18c-20

Peter got it right. Jesus was “the Christ of God.” Many others spoke of Him as one who was only a great prophet, but Peter saw deeper. He saw that Jesus was uniquely the Anointed One who is of God. In other words, Jesus was God.

Though we know this to be true, we can sometimes fail to fully comprehend the depth of this “Mystery of Faith.” Jesus is human, and He is God. This is hard to comprehend. It would have been hard for those of Jesus’ time to comprehend this great mystery, also. Imagine sitting before Jesus listening to Him speak. If you were there before Him, would you have concluded that He is also the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity? Would you have concluded that He existed from all eternity and was the great I AM WHO AM? Would you have concluded that He was perfect in every way and that He was also the Creator of all things and the one who keeps all things in being?

Most likely none of us fully would have comprehended the true depth of the meaning that Jesus was “the Christ of God.” We most likely would have recognized something special about Him, but would have failed to see Him for who He is in His full essence.

The same is true today. When we look at the Most Holy Eucharist, do we see God? Do we see the Almighty, Omnipotent, All-loving God who existed for eternity is the source of all good and is the Creator of all things? Perhaps the answer is both “Yes” and “No.” “Yes” in that we believe and “no” in that we do not fully understand.

Reflect, today, upon the divinity of Christ. Reflect upon Him present in the Most Holy Eucharist as well as His presence all around us. Do you see Him? Do you believe? How deep and complete is your faith in Him. Recommit yourself to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is in His Godhead. Try and take a step deeper in your faith.

Lord, I do believe. I believe You are the Christ of God. Help me to comprehend even more what that means. Help me to see Your divinity more clearly and to believe in You more fully. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life