I offered this homily at Mass on Sunday at Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish in Queensbury, New York.
Who do men say I am? Jesus asks his disciples.
And Peter. The impetuous Prince of the Apostles, responds with a simple, but profound, four word creed: “You are the Christ!”
You are one who the world has been waiting for. The one who will teach us how to love. You are the way we were made to live. You are our way, our truth, and our life. You are the Savior, the source of all life and the purpose of our being. You are the beginning and the end, the one through whom we were made and the one who will judge us at the end of time. You are the Christ!
Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, expanded upon Saint Peter’s Creed in a similar fashion, when he prayed:
You are the Christ, my Holy Father, my Tender God, my Great King, my Good Shepherd, my Only Master, my Best Helper, my Most Beautiful and my Beloved, my Living Bread, my Priest Forever, my Leader to my homeland, my Pure Simplicity, my Peaceful Harmony, my Entire Protection, my Good Portion, my Everlasting Salvation...
So…
Do you know someone whose life is filled with chaos and seeks only peace...then lead them to Jesus...
Do you know someone who can’t forgive themselves or someone who hurt them...then lead them to Jesus.
Do you know someone who is afraid of tomorrow and can’t forget what happened yesterday? ….then lead them to Jesus.
Do you know someone who is lost and striking out in every direction at those who are around them? ….then lead them to Jesus.
Do you know someone who is addicted, or enraged, or who trembles with fear? ….then lead them to Jesus.
For he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The one who seeks lost sheep and carries them home, who stretches his arms out on a cross and prays for those who nailed him up there, and who will come to lead us home from this valley of tears in the fullness of time.
He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! And how happy are those who are called to his supper!
