Sunday August 23rd 2020

First Reading
(Romans 12:1-8)

Life in God's Service
​
So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you:
Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him.
This is the true worship that you should offer. 
Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.
Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you should.
Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself
according to the amount of faith that God has given you. 

 We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. 
In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ,
and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. 
 So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us.
If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have; 
​
if it is to serve, we should serve;
if it is to teach, we should teach; 
if it is to encourage others, we should do so.
Whoever shares with others should do it generously;
whoever has authority should work hard;
whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.

Second Reading
(Matthew 16:13-20)

"Who do you say I am?"
(Also in Mark 8.27-30; Luke 9.18-21)

Jesus went to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi, where he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
 “Some say John the Baptist,” they answered.
“Others say Elijah, while others say Jeremiah or some other prophet.”
​
“What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”

 Simon Peter answered,
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
“Good for you, Simon son of John!” answered Jesus.
“For this truth did not come to you from any human being,
but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven. 
And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church,
and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. 
 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven;
what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven,
and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
​
Then Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.