Who is my Christ?

Who is my Christ?

 “But who do you say that I am?”  This is the classic question Christ poses to His disciples in today’s gospel after questioning them about who do people say that He is.

What people say about Jesus Christ would be what we learn about Christ in our Bible reading, studying Scriptures, listening to homilies or encountering people who attests to the Christian faith.  The Gospel selection that we have just proclaimed and all other selections from Scriptures are testimonies of faith rather than historical accounts.

The biography-type accounts about Christ are what remained of what the early believers collected together for the needs of their respective communities. We learn about Christ by way of the faith of the first Christians.

Our personal encounter with Jesus Christ happens through God’s gift of faith which is not a concept or idea.  Christ is a person with Whom we relate.  What we share about Him is an expression of our lived faith experience.

Faith is a movement from the Divine, that is captured by our human spirit.  It is like lightning that strikes into our innermost soul.

When Peter answers Christ: “You are the Christ!”, the first pope personally recognizes the electric vitality of a faith that is bound to transform his life and the life of the Church he had to shepherd.

As we gather now a faith community, we all have to assess this gift of faith from the Father.  Let us consider how we can render a matured response to this faith that is a fruit of attentive and intense reflection on Christ’s central role in our life.