Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
Gospel – Luke 9:18-22
One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, … ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Jesus was praying alone in the presence of the disciples and he asked the question of their relation to him. Prayer is the moment where you find about your relationship to Jesus. He asked about others and then about the disciples themselves. This means, our relationship with Jesus is something we must discover ourselves in the presence of Jesus alone in prayer. Here prayer and being alone with Jesus are important elements. There is an additional element also. Our relationship with Jesus is intrinsically connected to the Paschal mystery. That means, we can find the depth of our relationship with Jesus when we are going through the hard moments of life. If we find light in those moments, we are in true relation with Jesus Crucified and Risen. Otherwise, we know only Jesus in the opinion of others, not Jesus discovered by ourselves in His presence in prayer.