In today’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus, who was at prayer with his apostles asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” Doesn’t he ask me the same question? Doesn’t he expect I give him, hidden as he is, the answer Peter gave? And, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” Crowds? Families, friends, acquaintances, unknown millions? How can I inform them who he is? Do I ever ask him if he is hidden to the extent he cannot be seen or known? Why did he come on earth?
Doesn’t this short Gospel passage inspire me thank the Lord, hidden as he is, for the faith he has given me? Do I ever pray for those who have helped me know him? How about those who struggle to know him; those who have given up the faith, or those who are indifferent, even hateful toward him?
Do I ever ask such questions to him, who hides under the appearance of bread in the tabernacle where I pray, for the people I think about and for those I encounter each day?
Resolve: Before the spiritual tsunami hit our country in the 60s, along with many lay people, the majority of diocesan priests, seminarians, religious, and laymen spent one hour in prayer each day before Christ hidden in the tabernacle. I shall pray, in union with the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who began the practice, that those who engage in this devotion today, and those who are trying to renew it, will be blessed with success, and that their petitions will make Christ better known worldwide.