This Week’s Gospel Message for Sunday, August 23rd is from Matthew 16:13-20.
“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, ‘. . . 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.’”
“Jesus poses a question to his disciples today: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Throughout our lives we have learned about Jesus from parents and teachers, from the word of God we hear proclaimed each week, from those in whom we see the face of Christ in our world. Peter’s answer is that Jesus is the Christ (literally, the Messiah), the Son of the living God. Peter realized this uniqueness of Jesus, and so Jesus gives him the authority over all believers.” Source: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2020
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Rev 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51
Saint Bartholomew, Apostle (Feast) – “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts count him as one of the twelve apostles, associating his name with Philip. But John’s gospel links the name Nathanael with Philip and never mentions Bartholomew. What is certain is that Bartholomew left everything to follow Jesus.”
Tuesday 2 Thess 2:1-3a, 14-17; Matt 23:23-26
Wednesday 2 Thess 3:6-10, 16-18; Matt 23:27-32
Thursday 1 Cor 1:1-9; Matt 24:42-51
Saint Monica (Memorial) – “Saint Monica was born a Christian in North Africa. Through her example, her husband, Patricius, became a Christian. She prayed for the conversion of her son, Augustine.”
Friday 1 Cor 1:17-25; Matt 25:1-13
Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – “Saint Augustine abandoned the Christian faith but later converted to being a Christian after he heard St. Ambrose preach while in Italy. He was ordained and became bishop of Hippo. Saint Augustine’s life story is in his Confessions. His intelligence and pastoral concern shaped Western Christianity.”
Saturday 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mark 5:17-29
The Passion of Saint John the Baptist (Memorial) – “John rebuked Herod the tetrarch for the nature of his marriage to Herodias, who was both Herod’s niece and his brother’s wife. Herod had John imprisoned, and later beheaded.” Source: Living With Christ, August 2020