August 8, 2024. Gospel Passages: Matthew 16:13-20, 11:28-30; John 20:28, 15:14-16, 11:1-44, 15:13-15; Mark 8:36; Luke 1:38. Also Hebrews 4:15, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. Quoting St. Jean Marie Vianney in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, point 2715. For further reading: “The Life of St. Teresa Ávila” by Alice Lady Lovat, taken from the French of ‘A Carmelite’ (1912) and St. Josemaría Escrivá, "Take away from me, Lord, everything that takes me away from you." in "The Founder of Opus Dei:The Life of Josemaría Escrivá" Volume III by Andrés Vázquez de Prada. Meditation with Fr. Henry Bocala, guest priest from "Meditations in Manhattan" on Spotify. Image: "Christ's Charge to Peter" by Peter Paul Rubens in the Wallace Collection, London (Wikimedia Commons). Priest's Note: Each of us are called to answer the question that Christ posed to his Disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” It is not enough to know Jesus abstractly. We need to consider: Do we deal with Jesus as a friend? What place does Christ occupy in our life?