The Confession of Peter in Luke reminds us of the confession that we are to make regarding Jesus, the Christ of God. We are to confess him in the way of life we choose, a life that reproduces the marks of the Suffering Messiah.
Read the list of relevant articles below and use the following as your guide for reflection:
- Workshop: Jesus, Christ and Prophet (Luke 9:18-22)
- Mag-aral Tayo: Mga Anak ng Diyos kay Cristo (Gal. 3:22-29)
1. Jesus is the Messiah, but not one that is politically powerful. His way is that of one who must endure rejection, suffering and death on the way to life. Anyone who wants to be his disciple should also associate himself to Jesus' suffering.
Reflect: There are those who convince others that adherence to Christ leads to material and physical well-being. Given the Christ they preach and the Christ that Luke shows us, which Christ would you choose? Why?
2. "Deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me." There can be no disciple of Christ who is an egotist, self-centered and prestige-oriented. Furthermore, the image that Luke gives us of a disciple who follows Christ is that of Simon of Cyrene who takes up the cross and walks behind Jesus (see Luke 23:26).
Reflect: The disciple denies himself when he makes Jesus the center of his life and identifies himself with Him in his suffering and death. This is our baptismal commitment. How have you been living your baptismal commitment? How much of you is yourself and not Christ? Can you even say: "I live, no longer I, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20)"?
3. To deny oneself is to lose one's life for the sake of Christ.
Reflect: The candle that was lit on our baptism is a symbol of the Christian life. Like the candle, one gives off the light of Christ and in the process is consumed in the act of letting the light shine. Are you, like the baptismal candle, shining bright?
