Lent Reflection: First Monday of Lent

Today's Gospel poses the quintessential question for Christians from the mouth of Jesus: "Who do you say that I am?"  The core of Christian is the person of Christ, not a moral code, not a liturgical tradition, but the person of Christ.  What we say about Christ affects what we say about everything in our faith.  If we were to think of Christ as only human or only divine, we would lose that intimate connection with God that we get through Christ, the primary mediator between God and humanity.  If we think of Christ as someone who didn't have a body but was just some sort of spiritual being, Jesus becomes an angel, Jesus becomes unhuman.  An image of Christ the King elicits a different response than an image of Jesus in the bread line or an image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

What we say about Jesus matters.  There's a huge schism between the East and West Churches stemming from the West's belief that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (Filioque).  That was a thousand years ago.  Christians today still feel the effects of that time.

And you?  Who do you say that Jesus is?
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Reflection Questions:
What image of Christ speaks to me?
Who do I say that Jesus is?
How do I profess that belief in my daily life?
Do I focus the particulars of my faith more than Jesus?
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Blessings,
Isaac