Br. Wilhelm B.

Boñon, OP Mt 16:13-23
August 4, 2022, Thursday Memorial of St. Jean Marie Vianney

When we were recruited to the Order, I remember one of the questions in our exam. It is about
our motivation to enter. What inspired us to join or what motivated us to apply to the Order?
Did you remember your motivation when you applied to the Dominican Order? Maybe some of
us answered that we wanted to serve the Lord, some of us had a revelation of Christ telling us
to follow Him, and some just wanted to wear the habit and be a Dominican friar and priest.
Whatever we may have answered in our entrance exam, one thing is given: we want to be
disciples of Christ. We want to follow Christ and preach Christ to the world.

The character of Peter in our Gospel today asks us to reflect on our life as men wanting to
become Priests, men who want to bring Christ to the people. At the start of the Gospel, Jesus
praises Peter for professing his faith that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” He calls
Peter blessed. But, a short while later, some may find it funny if it is in the modern context, but
Jesus rebukes Peter in the strongest term as Satan for being an obstacle to Him. This is just
moments after he was praised. But this is really a challenge to us – we are Peter. Yes, we
believe that Christ is the Son of the Living God. We profess and proclaim this, but the challenge
is how do we live this message? Do we hinder Christ through our witnessing? Do we really live
as true messengers of God’s word, or do we hinder this message to other people because of
how we live? Do our actions follow what we preach? Do we really bless, or do we curse? Do we
bring the message of mercy and love and not hate?

In God’s mercy and love, we hope to become priests. Like St. Jean Marie Vianney, a model
pastor - who lived his life witnessing Christ to the people by his words and actions, may we also
be images of Christ! A priest who will genuinely be an alter-Christus in word and deed. May we
not hinder Christ’s message to the people and be his instrument in reaching more people.

We pray for more priests who will be good and holy pastors of the Church!