Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 16, 2023
Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus receives different views as to how he is perceived. Likewise, people that we encounter throughout our lives will form different opinions of us based on our actions and words.
The miracles that Christ performed and his teachings revealed himself to his followers. From the words of the prophets, it was foretold that God would someday send a Savior. Through these prophets, God sent messages to mankind.
Throughout our journey in life, God’s messages are still being sent to direct our lives. Some of these signs are in the form of coincidences or “Godwink” moments as we like to call them in our family—a continuing reminder that God is with us in our journey.
After my father had heart surgery last year, he developed an infection that caused a stroke and led to his passing. My mother related to me many grace-filled coincidences regarding the people that came into their lives during his seven-month medical saga.
One instance, in particular, stands out. A doctor who was treating my father, noticed a family photo in his hospital room and commented on it. My mother mentioned that I had graduated from Notre Dame. Ironically, he graduated from Notre Dame years before I did and had even been a resident of the same dorm.
This coincidence provided my family a comforting message of God’s presence and love during a difficult time. Even after my father’s death on the day that a Mass was offered for the repose of his soul, my mother would tell me of a Godwink message or coincidence happening shortly afterwards.
Christ did not want the disciples to tell anyone about him. He wanted his people to see through their own eyes from the miracles he performed and his teachings. Likewise, we need to ask ourselves each day: Where did God reveal himself to me today?
Prayer
Jesus our Teacher, you challenged your disciples to know you more intimately, and so come to recognize you as the Christ. Help us never to be content with our knowledge of you, but always to desire to know and love you more. Bring our hearts to rejoice in Peter’s confession that “You are the Christ” – our salvation and the fulfillment of our lives. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Servant of God Julia Greeley was a woman born into slavery, whose heroic dedication to Christian charity inspired the city of Denver. Julia does not yet have an official feast day, but she is featured today in celebration of Black History Month.
Julia Greeley was born in captivity in Hannibal, Missouri. The dates given for her birth range from 1835 to 1855. She lost eyesight in one of her eyes when a slavedriver's whip cut her face across her eye. She was emancipated at the end of the Civil War in 1865. After being employed in St. Louis as a maid, Julia Greeley arrived in the city of Denver to work for a wealthy widow Mrs. Dickerson. Mrs. Dickerson was a former Washington D.C. socialite who married Colorado's first governor, William Gilpin. Julia began working with Mrs. Dickerson and her family in 1879 and was a kind and caring housekeeper for the family.
In 1880, Julia was received into the Catholic Church at Sacred Heart Church in Denver. Quickly, Julia became a fixture of charity in the community. She worked for many different families in the community with love and maternal care. When not working, Julia begged and obtained mattresses, baby carriages, food, and other items for families who needed them. She delivered them at all hours of the day and night. No one who ever asked Julia Greeley for help was ever turned away. This munificence meant that Julia was swindled several times. But, with the wisdom of the saints, Julia knew it was more blessed to give than to receive, and she kept blessing herself and her community by giving.
Julia fasted frequently and received communion daily at Denver's Sacred Heart church. She loved to visit the many convents of religious sisters around Denver, and they had an open door policy for her. In 1901, Julia became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. Her imitation of Francis was beautifully evident in her love of giving to others.
On June 7, 1918, the feast of the Sacred Heart, Julia died in Denver. She had given away her burial plot to a man who was going to be buried in a pauper's grave. In repayment, Julia was buried in her Franciscan habit and laid in state in Sacred Heart Church. In 2017, Julia's body was exhumed and buried in Denver's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. She is the first person to be interred in the Cathedral.
Servant of God Julia Greeley, who dedicated her life to loving others fully—pray for us!
Image of Servant of God Julia Greeley above (taken 1916) appears via the Julia Greeley Guild. Visit their website for more information on the canonization process.