The daily Word of God

Dear friends,

“And who do you say that I am?” Centuries have passed, and this question of Jesus still rings true. We answer with the Creed of the Catechism and the formulas coined in the Councils. “Born of the Father, before all ages,” “Begotten, not created, of the same nature as the Father,” “He came down from heaven, became incarnate, suffered, was buried and rose again,” “He will come to judge the living and the dead.” These are precise formulas, recited with unwavering faith in the Church through countless generations. They deserve our thoughtful study and profound admiration. We must avoid the risk of these phrases becoming routine and almost childish when we recite them in the liturgy. We know that our faith is in Jesus Christ, not some abstract truths about him.

It is crucial to understand who Jesus is, to have faith and trust in him. Jesus himself places this in a moment of prayer. Prayer is not about ideologies. It is about having faith and trust in Jesus. Faith is the only answer to the question of Jesus’ identity. The Messiah of God is the clear vision. He is not a political and triumphant Messiah. The Old Testament makes it clear that the Messiah is a King and the liberator of the people from all oppression. The Messiah Jesus is associated with his passion and death, with his failure as a man of sorrows. This is the true content of his messianism. It did not fit in their heads, and rightly so. Jesus forbids his followers to tell anyone. This gospel establishes the following path regarding the identity of Jesus: The people call him prophet, the apostles confess him Messiah of God, and Jesus proclaims himself Son of Man. The answer is already clear.

This Messiah had no interest in worldly titles or powers. The disciples did not understand this. They wanted to keep him out of the way of the passion. They wanted the first places and were far from being the last and servants. Today, among the followers of Jesus, ambition for power is still rife. This is the very thing that the last three Popes have denounced: careerism, the climbing of dignities, the hoarding of titles. It is so far from the one who humbled himself to the point of death. What should we do? Look to Jesus and confess your faith. We remember an example. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. He is our Master and Redeemer. He knows us and loves us. He is our companion and friend, our man of sorrow and hope. I will never tire of speaking of him. He is the light, the truth, and the way, the truth, and the life. He was small, poor, humiliated, an example, our consolation, our brother. He instituted the new Kingdom in which the poor are blessed, in which all are brothers and sisters. To you, Christians, I repeat his name: Christ Jesus is the mediator between heaven and earth, he is the Son of Mary. Jesus Christ! Remember him. His name will resound to the ends of the earth forever and ever.