I don’t know about you, but I can really relate to Abraham in the first reading. He is 99 years old when God appears to him and makes this covenant with him, promising him seemingly impossible things. He promises him that his barren wife (who is 90 years old, by the way) will have a son and from that son will come entire nations of descendants. I imagine Abraham probably figured he had seen enough life by then to know that this was impossible.

So Abraham prostrates himself in worship as he receives this message, while at the same time laughing to himself because the whole thing seems ridiculous. He’s like, “Thanks, God, that’s cute – but I bet you mean this metaphorically or something. Just bless my other son Ishmael and we’ll call it good. That’s the best I can hope for here, we both know that.” He totally boxes God in, and tries to set a limit on what God can do. But God insists – He is a God who keeps His covenants and He WILL do what He has said; Abraham and Sarah will have a son, Isaac, and he will be the sign of the covenant. And for good measure, He blesses Ishmael, too. Abraham was ready to give up what he really desired in his heart, thinking God couldn’t fulfill it, and God gives so much more than Abraham ever thought he could bargain for.

I am not 99 years old, but I sure act like I’ve seen as much life as Abraham and that I know the things God can and can’t do in my life. Perhaps you are similar to me: we pray, but we don’t ask for the things we really desire or the big things that we really want to ask God to do in us because we think that it’s impossible for Him. We box God in, setting limits and boundaries on what His love and mercy are capable of doing and transforming in our own hearts and in the world around us. We pray small, asking for small things, hoping to just get scraps from the table, laughing a little at the thought that God could really do the big things. But you see, God is not offering His children scraps from the table; He is really inviting us to the Feast, wanting to pour His love into our lives and answer the deep desires of our hearts. He is constantly insisting in our lives that He is a God who keeps His promises to us, proving it to us through the Eucharist. He wants us to pray BIG, and to trust His goodness!

The leper in the Gospel understood this truth. He had no doubts about Jesus’ ability to do the impossible; he wasn’t afraid to pray big, to trust that God wanted to answer the longing in his heart. We all have things, big and small, in our lives that we think are impossible for God to do or to care about. But today, instead of doubting, let’s start asking for the kind of faith the leper had. 

What are some things in your life you think are "too big" for God to do? Why do you think that if He has proven He can do even bigger things?

What are some ways you can trust God more and not put Him in a box of limitations?

Do you trust the Lord with your vision for your life? 

"Jesus I trust in you!"

"I give it all to you God."

"You're a good, good Father."

Pray big. It may happen, it may not, but if you are sincere and it will bring you or other's closer to God, it very well may happen. Trust in Him.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine yourself walking with Jesus and His disciples in the Golan Heights region where Caesarea Philippi is located. Just for some background, Golan Heights is a region in what we call “The Holy Land," bordering a few countries including Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, a region where political conflict exists to this day. Golan Heights is also included in the region historically called “Levant," which basically is a name given for where the sun rises. It’s a few miles drive from the Sea of Galilee where the disciple would do their fishing and where Jesus met them and called them to follow Him. Caesarea Philippi is also known to be the place of the Temple and Sanctuary of the Roman mythological god of the wild, Pan. 

You have been walking with Jesus and a few hours ago you left the Sea of Galilee where He likes fishing with His disciples. Jesus takes you to Caesarea Philippi, a beautiful area; it is cool and mountainous, with springs of water flowing to refresh you. Then, in a very intimate place, right in front of what used to be a sanctuary to a false god and a place of conflict, Jesus calls you by name. You turn to Him, and you see that He is looking at your eyes; He asks you: “who do you say that I am?”  

How would you respond?  

This question seeks more than a mere “one word answer and off we go" kinda thing. This question seeks an answer that would pierce one’s core, because the One who asks the question is the very Person who gives meaning and purpose to all that you are.  In the midst of the false gods that we give ourselves into, including and especially the ego, in the midst of the conflicts that we face everyday that tear us apart, Jesus wants you to answer this very same question.  

Who do you say Jesus is?  

Please give yourself a moment before answering this question; I would suggest that you call on the Holy Spirit’s help before answering this question. You do not want to answer like the other disciples did, because if you answer hastily, Jesus will just keep repeating the question.

Now, if you answer like Peter did: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," what’s next for you?  Get ready. Ask the Holy Spirit for more help. That means: pray more.  Jesus would like you to live by that answer, and to make it the purpose of your life. God would like for you to make Jesus your Savior, because He is the Son of the living God. If you do that now, His sacrifice to the True God will be able bring peace to your own conflicts.

What are the false gods and the conflicts in your life that make Jesus' question a difficult one for you to answer? 

Who do you say that Jesus is?

How can you be more proactive in calling on the Holy Spirit in order to truly make Jesus the Living God in your daily life? 

"You are the Christ."

"You are the Son of the Living God."

​"You are my Savior."

Before you go to bed today, do some journaling. Even if it's not a thing you normally do, give it a shot. You can get a physical journal, a piece of paper, or start a note on your phone. In this journal, look back at your day; when were you given the chance to honor Jesus as the Living God in your life? When He asked that question of you, whether it was through an interaction with another person, a choice to sin or live virtuously, or any other way, how did you respond? Journal about those experiences. 

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

This past week I saw Wonder Woman. I liked it so much I saw it twice (in five days). One of my favorite scenes is when she is a little girl, Diana asks her mom to teach her to fight. When her mom says no, she uses her persuasion powers as a six year old to try and get her to change her mind. Her next thing to try is a sword with no sharp edges. When her mom says no, she asks if she could just use a shield. Her shield becomes one of her most important tools in her quest to end hatred in the world. A shield is meant to protect. A shield is meant to defend. It provides comfort and strength. 

God is our shield. He is our protector. He only wants what is best for us. He will always be there for us.

Often when we think of God we think of Him as this ultimate protector, that his protection makes a bubble around us and our faith means that nothing bad can get through. We think that nothing bad can happen to us if we believe in Him. 

But that is not true. We live in a broken world. There is heartbreak, cancer, car accidents, break-ups, and death. These things will touch us, if they haven’t already. If we think that God gives us this magic, safe bubble when something bad happens our faith can be shaken. When we see God as our shield, we should instead find hope and strength. God is our shield, and when we believe in Him our reward is very great. 

Abram had a hard life. Not having any children meant that he had a great burden to bear and no one to take care of him or his wife in old age. God promised Abram that everything would be ok and that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the sky, and that is what happened. God took care of Abram, just like He takes care of us. 

When bad things happen to us, God is right there with us. When we say God is our shield, it doesn’t mean that He keeps the bad stuff away, it means He is right with us when it happens. It means He mourns with us. He walks with us through our suffering. And He has given hope to our suffering through the death and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ. 

When God is our shield, our reward is very great. Living with God by our side, walking with Him gives us the promise of eternal life. There is no better reward than spending eternity with our Lord.

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

​How has God been a shield and protector for you?

​When have you seen God bring something good out of bad?

​How has your faith equipped you in the battles of life?

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"The Lord is my shield."

"The Lord is my defense."

​"The Lord will fight for you."

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

​Allow the Lord to be your shield today. Let Him protect you in the midst whatever you are dealing with today.

Its pretty hard to read todays gospel without thinking of Robert Frost’s famous poem The Road Not Taken, where he writes, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

Our life presents us with two clear paths. The first in which is the one we see daily where what is valued is beauty, money, the fastest route, the comfortable way, the convenient method, etc. Everything we see is to make life easier. I was thinking about this while using a public restroom the other day and I did not touch a thing, the door, soap, water, towel were all automatic. Now I’m not bashing the bathroom system, because it is quite helpful. The point is that we get so programed to look for the easier and more comfortable way. Pope Benedict said, “The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Can I get an “Amen”?

Robert Frost, Pope Benedict, and above all Jesus are all trying to convene the old yet infinitely prevalent message that there is another way, there is a hidden path that far too many forget or just don’t care. So first you need to ask yourself… do I want to be a saint? Do I want salvation? If this is what you want then it takes getting a little uncomfortable and being quite unconventional. There is no such thing as a saint who took the easy way and lived an average life. What makes them exceptional is the radical ways in which they followed Jesus. They followed Jesus down, around, and up the road less chosen.

In today’s gospel Christ tells us, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” These are touch words, “those who find it are few”. I pray today that you have the courage and conviction to be “the few”; to walk fearlessly down the narrow path. Jesus says that the wide gate leads to destruction but the narrow path lead to life. Not just eternal life, but life today and tomorrow. There is an usual joy we see in the lives of the saints that comes not from anything of this world but from Jesus himself, whom wants us to be with him now and forever. I encourage you today to take a look at your life, at what you do each day, at what you have done today… what path are you on? And remember, it is never too late to follow Jesus and to change your direction. Our God is a God of mercy. He is the Good Shepherd and will lead us his sheep to all that is good. ​

Reflect on the last week. When did you choose the wide path with everyone? When did you follow Jesus and choose the narrow way?

Why is the narrow way the better way? Where is God calling you? 

 Look at your life, at what you do each day, at what you have done today… what path are you on?

"I was made for greatness."

​"How narrow is the gate."

​"God leads us to all that is good."

Go look up a saint you do not know much about. How did they follow the narrow way? How can you follow the narrow way today?