Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Or Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs

Luke 9: 18-22
“Who Do You Say That I Am?”

This moment in Luke’s Gospel is one of the turning points in Jesus’ earthly life. As He set His face toward Jerusalem, knowing the Cross awaited Him, He asked His disciples a question of ultimate importance: “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter’s answer—“You are the Christ of God”—was more than a statement of faith. It was a breakthrough, a light shining in the darkness. Jesus had not laboured in vain. Even if His disciples did not yet understand everything, a seed of truth had been planted, a fire lit in their hearts that would never be extinguished.

But Peter, like the others, still had to learn what this truth meant. They dreamed of a Messiah who would conquer with power, lead them to victory, and restore glory to Israel. However, Jesus had to turn their hopes upside down so that they could see that God’s way is not the way of worldly conquest, but of self-giving love.

This Gospel leaves us with two great truths.

First, faith is always personal. It is not enough to repeat what others say about Jesus. Each of us must answer His question ourselves: “Who do you say that I am?” Christianity is not merely knowing doctrines; it is knowing a Person. Like Saint Paul, we are called to say, “I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim 1:12).

Second, discipleship means living under God’s will. Jesus often said “I must” — “I must be in my Father’s house” (Lk 2:49), “I must proclaim the kingdom” (Lk 4:43), “I must go on my way” (Lk 13:33), and finally, “The Son of Man must suffer many things” (Lk 9:22). His whole life was shaped by that “must,” by obedience to His Father’s plan.

So too for us: to follow Christ is to live with that same sense of holy necessity. We are people under orders—not the orders of the world, but of God’s love.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025