Hello Families,
Today’s Gospel reminds us that the Church is built on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. Peter announces the core of our faith, that Jesus is God’s only Son. The family, as the domestic church, has this same faith as its foundation.
As you gather together as a family, talk about people whose faith has helped you to be a member of the Church and talk about what you have learned from leaders in our Church today. Read together today’s Gospel, Matthew 16:13-20. Talk about what you know about Peter and his importance to the early Christian community. Talk about what we can learn from Peter and his profession of faith about Jesus. Conclude in prayer together by praying today’s Psalm or an Act of Faith.
Liturgy Link – Most churches have a gold and white flag of Vatican City on their grounds. The white band of the flag contains the papal coat of arms, which contains the keys of Peter and the papal tiara. These keys represent the keys to the kingdom of heaven mentioned in today’s Gospel. See if you can find the Vatican City flag in your church.
Family Challenge – As a family, make a list of people you know who stopped going to church or have never attended church. Each day this week, pray for these people by name so that they may be converted to Christ.
Fun Facts – In today’s Gospel, Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. This was the site of pagan worship to the Greek god Pan. To the pagan mind, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld; they literally believed that these were the gates of hell. Jesus brought his disciples to this distant area to emphasize this point: the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church!
Partners in Faith,
Phyllis Chudzinski