Lenten Reflection for 2/22

Chair of St. Peter

Daily Prayer

God our Father, who so loves the world, You sent Your beloved Son to teach us Your love and mercy. Your Son became like us when He revealed Himself in our human nature. Help us today to become more like Him, even as he became one of us. As Christ shared in our humanity, may we seek to imitate His divinity. Amen


Scripture Readings

1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19
(Click for today’s Readings.)

Scripture Quote

Matthew 16:18-19

Jesus said to Simon Peter:
“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.”


Reflection

Jesus knows, even in this moment, that soon Peter will deny him thrice. Why, then, does Jesus build His Church upon a flawed man? It is because of God’s mercy—and Jesus’ humanity.

God does not show us mercy because of our own goodness. He has every right to give us our due punishment. Because He is a just God, He had to punish sin. God gave the world His only begotten Son, the sinless Lamb of God, and the only one who could bear the sin of the world upon His shoulders.

While Jesus is the Son of God, He is also the Son of Mary. He is fully human and fully divine. The fully human part of Jesus understands our human frailties, weaknesses and failures. And yet, the fully divine part of Jesus loves us in spite of them.

Because of God’s undeserved mercy towards us, we can now live our lives for His glory and honor. Part of that includes showing mercy, compassion, and kindness towards others, just as He did toward us.

Reflection Questions

How can I show God’s mercy, compassion and kindness to others?

How can I make my love grow this day as I approach the great Paschal Mystery?


Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.