"Good leaders must first become good servants."

"Life is a place of service. Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness." 
--Leo Tolstoy

Gospel Text: (MT 16:13-19)

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Have you ever wanted to be someone else?

You might wonder if Peter had ever fantasized about doing something else when he was a fisherman. Well, as it turned out, Peter got not only a new job but a new name as well. He became “the Rock” on which Jesus built his Church. He grew into his new identity, making a lot of mistakes along the way. He even denied knowing Jesus at one point! But he kept at it, and eventually he became all that Jesus had envisioned.

This is how it works in our lives as well. When we are confirmed, we take on a new name, a saint’s name. Then we commit ourselves to trying to grow in holiness, all the while learning how to yield to the Spirit’s work in our lives. It’s no fantasy. We know that we are weak, but we can take comfort in the fact that the Spirit is powerful and loves to give us his strength.

Jesus asks his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” This is a question that I often ask myself. How do I describe Christ? Who is He in my life? To me, Jesus is a forgiver, a redeemer, a savior, a friend, and my rock, but the answer to this question is different for everyone. Challenge yourself to answer who Jesus is to you today.