Who Do You Say that He Is?

Today's Gospel reading (see Luke 9:18-22) is such a tender-hearted one: here the disciples stand before their Lord after many chapters full of signs and wonders, of miraculous fish-catchings and cleansing of lepers, of beautiful parables about the Kingdom of God, and of the feeding of 5,000 of their own brethren.

Jesus knew they had seen it all, but He wanted them to speak to how it all shook out in their hearts.

I can almost see our Lord's look of gentle love and expectation as He queries the disciples. I can almost feel the pitter-patter of Saint Peter's heart when He responds, "You are the Christ of God" (Luke 9:20).

I know deep down that the Lord wants our own answer to that very same question.

Not a textbook answer or scholarly summation. Not the most perfected and holy response or the most impressive by worldly standards. He wants us to speak our hearts. Could our pitter-pattering hearts speak as boldly as our dear Saint Peter, and if they did, what would they say?

While you and I may not have Christ before us as Saint Peter did, we do have Him in the beautiful intimacy of the Eucharist. He comes to us—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—and asks that very same question:

"Who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20)

In the few minutes you have before you receive your next Eucharistic meal, tell the Lord Who He is to you. And ask for the eyes to see Him more deeply and more truly in your day today.

Could our pitter-pattering hearts speak as boldly as our dear Saint Peter, and if they did, what would they say? // Karen SchultzClick to tweet

Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament in tabernacles throughout the world. Watch live Adoration if you can't get to a church today to open your heart to Him and answer this question.

Karen Schultz hails from the Land of 10,000 lakes, where she is often found in or near one of them. As a doula, lactation educator, and FertilityCare Practitioner, she finds joy in helping women to embrace the gift of their bodies. Downtime is found in quiet adoration chapels, farmers markets and gardens, listening to bluegrass music, and embracing the diversity of Minnesota’s seasons. She is a contributing author to our Works of Mercy Study: Misericordia. You can find out more about her here.