Jesus asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is” (Mt. 16:13)?

Peter answers Jesus by saying that Jesus is: “The Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Mt: 16:16).

What does Peter’s response have to do with our lives? Does he really care about our everyday challenges, struggles, and tensions? Yes, he does because Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus is one with us. The infinite reality of God is present within each human being that exists because Jesus became one with us in our humanity so that we can be one with him in his divinity.

We have been created in God’s image and likeness and this is true from the moment of our conception through each stage of life until natural death. The unfortunate effects of Orignal sin are that our image has been distorted and our likeness to God has been lost. We have not been totally corrupted but we have been wounded and we need to be healed and restored.

Jesus experiences our suffering personally. Whatever we may be going through, whether it be a temporary or chronic illness, loss of job, conflict and tensions with family, friends, colleagues, and/or classmates, as well as experiencing feelings anxiety, confusion, and/or lack of direction, mourning and grieving over the death of those we hold close to our hearts: Jesus feels our pain and suffering.

The suffering of humanity is not something abstract for Jesus because Jesus knows each and every one of us intimately and uniquely. He knows us better than we know ourselves and is the one who cares about us and what we are experiencing. Also, he is no stranger to suffering.

Jesus not only cares, he loves us and will walk with us no matter what we may be facing right now. Jesus is inviting us this morning and this Lent to trust in him, to allow his light to shine in those places of darkness, those places where anxiety and fear have a hold, and those places where we need to let go because we give them more priority in our lives than we do God.

A good question to ponder and meditate on this morning is: Who is Jesus for us and are we willing to invite him into our situations and allow God to happen in our lives?

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Photo: Closeup of a 6th century icon of Jesus from St Catherine’s Monastery.

Link for Mass readings for Monday, February 22, 2024