DGEMs

Church - God’s Salvific Plan: In today’s celebration, we have St Peter the first of 266 popes of Rome to date.  St Paul, the greatest evangelist of the Apostles.  The Holy Spirit empowers, enlightens and enlists them for the growth of the Church founded by Jesus.  Let us pray for Pope Francis and the universal Catholic Church.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’ 

Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 

Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’