Wednesday Gospel Webinar Portsmouth Diocese – Formation for Mission

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Literal meaning Where? Matthew 16 – in Galilee? When? After Peter’s profession of faith and before the Transfiguration What? Jesus teaches and prepares his disciples Who? Jesus, Peter, disciples How? Jesus prophesies his passion, and responds to Peter’s refusal Why? Jesus invites them to enter into God’s own thinking

Entering into ‘God’s thinking’ Jesus shares his heart and future with the disciples Death and resurrection Kingdom of Heaven and kingdom of this world Divine thinking and human thinking Loss and gain Present and future

Finding God God fulfils his own plan of salvation Evil and death ‘fit’ into God’s plan Eternal life enters into human reality In Jesus

Finding the human person Jesus and Peter: a new temptation Jesus reveals the meaning of human life in the light of eternity Self-giving = purpose of human freedom Human choices have eternal consequences

Recipients of eternal life Finding the Church Followers of Christ Bearers of the cross Recipients of eternal life

Mary, Virgin and Mother, you who, moved by the Holy Spirit, welcomed the word of life in the depths of your humble faith: as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own “yes” to the urgent call, as pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.   Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us. Amen. Alleluia.

Acknowledgments Mosaics artworks: © Fr Marko Rupnik and Centro Aletti www.centroaletti.com With gratitude to the Wednesday Word www.wednesdayword.org