"On this rock I will build my Church.”

Calling Jesus “Lord”, if he’s not the Lord, won’t get me anywhere. “I am the Good Shepherd. I know mine and mine know me”. Allowing Jesus to be Lord in my life is a very different and yet a very simple thing. It is all a question of obedience. I must do all things and live my life according to the very clear guidelines he left me. “If you love me you will obey me…”

Jesus uses the world ROCK several times. When he called Peter he said, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.” Peter himself wasn’t actually a rock, as his unfolding story shows, but he was to be the titular leader of a group of which Jesus himself would be the rock.

As a Christian I have been sent to carry a message about Jesus and about the good news he came to proclaim.

Jesus asks a very important question. “Who do you say I am?” If he is Lord in my life then I must profoundly change m whole approach to living m life. If he is Lord then I am living in his kingdom.

Christian living in not about what we do, as much as why we do it. I could be a pagan and be a good person and do many kind acts. What is unique about the actions and worlds of the Christian is that all of this is done because Jesus has entrusted this mission to me. On several occasions in the gospels, Jesus was asked by what authority he did what he did and he always replied that he had come to do the will of his Father in heaven. They marveled at him because he spoke with authority. Later he would say, “As the Father in heaven, so I am sending you. If you love me, you will obey me…”

If my life is based on Jesus and on his word, I can stand firm in the midst of all the storms and trials of life. We can all be sure of the trials and the moments of testing, that is part of life itself. It is at such times, more than others, that I can be most aware of Jesus presence and his promises. It is at such times, more than others, that I can be most aware of Jesus presence and his promises. It is often at these times that real growth takes place in m life, rather that when everything is smooth, calm and under control.

Most of us were baptized as infants when our parents, god-parents and the community into which we were baptized made promises. However there has to come a time in m life when I make my own personal decision on my Christian vocation. Nobody else can do that for me. I need to accept Jesus as my Lord and walk in his way.

Don’t forget you are going to die one day and come face to face with Jesus. Immediately the first part of today’s gospel comes into effect. You either know him or you don’t. We need to act now and not put off things until tomorrow. Let us look at the part Jesus plays in my life and take all the necessary steps to make it stronger.

There are three different was n which people accept the message of Jesus. Some of them put down a foundation during their childhood and school-time, but they do nothing more with it after that. Some others do a wonderful job where they are seen to be perfect and conforming on the outside while within there is emptiness and a spiritual vacuum. The third group could do with a tidying-up from time to time, like receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation but inside there is a tremendous amount of real love.