One of the most prolific of Gospel readings is today when Jesus prompts his disciples to identify him. The response is amazing as Simon Peter son of Jonah quips , you are the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It is at this point Jesus renames the disciple saying you are Peter, from Greek Petra, Rock, and upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

Jesus asks His disciples one of the most important questions in the Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” This question is not only directed to Peter and the other disciples. Jesus asks it of each one of us today. The disciples had heard many opinions about Jesus. Some people thought He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. They recognized that Jesus was a special man sent by God, but they did not fully understand who He truly was.

We have come to understand that Ordinary Time brings us a great opportunity to delve into some of the foundational principles of our faith.

This stretch of Ordinary Time is long and takes us all the way to Advent. Here, before us, we unfold the public ministry of Jesus through his encounters with people, his parables, and his miracles.

We learn quite well that Jesus sets us up for success; he wants us to receive in abundance what is good, even if it is the leftovers that fall from the table for dogs to eat.

In Matthew's Gospel we find a Canaanite woman desperately seeking Jesus to ask for help for her daughter. Although she did not belong to the people of Israel, she recognized the Lord in Jesus and approached Him with extraordinary faith. This passage also invites us to ask ourselves: what does it mean to be a true disciple of Jesus?

When the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, he summons them to faith—a way of living that entails leaving behind our old way of measuring things and learning to see all in the light of the One who calls to us. Yet we should not be surprised that Christ often comes in ways that “underwhelm” us, as Elijah found out in the tiny whispering sound of God’s presence.

We encounter a powerful moment of faith, trust, and discipleship. After Jesus sends His disciples ahead in the boat, they find themselves caught in the middle of the sea during a violent storm. The wind is strong, the waves are overwhelming, and the disciples are filled with fear. In the midst of their struggle, Jesus comes toward them walking on the water and says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter responds with faith and asks Jesus to call him out of the boat.

In this Sunday's Gospel, we witness one of Jesus' most well-known miracles: the feeding of the five thousand. Faced with a hungry crowd, the disciples saw only five loaves of bread and two fish—far too little to meet the need. But Jesus saw an opportunity to reveal God's abundant love.

Be Christ-like In All things.

Three things scripturally that made Jesus sad. The death of his good friend Lazarus, the death of his cousin John the Baptist, and the complex betrayal he received from Judas Iscariot. He was truly devastated by these events, even though they were part of God’s overall plan. Why would Jesus find these events so disturbing is that he was vested in love and relationship with them. Jesus truly grieved these losses because he invested much.