Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Welcome to Penn Newman & Sts. AJ’s!!

A warm welcome to all new and returning Penn students!! On behalf of all of our Parish & Newman community, we want to welcome you to your new “home away from home.” We know how significant it is to leave behind families and other faith communities, and we hope that in your time here you can feel welcome into a fully alive Catholic community that helps you encounter God, grow in your faith life, and discover your calling to follow and serve the Lord & his Church!

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“Who do you say that I am?" (Mt 16:15)

In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Lord asks his closest disciples perhaps the most fundamental question, and today he wants to ask each you and me that same question: “Who do you say that I am?"

In many other parts of the Gospels, Jesus reveals to us who God is, as our Father who has sent his only beloved son into the world not to condemn, but to save and seek out the lost sheep. In other moments, he helps show us who we are, as sons and daughters of this loving and merciful father, as in the parable of the “Prodigal Son.”

But today, it becomes even more personal. Jesus comes directly to you and to me: “Patrick, who do you say that I am? Who am I to you?” So I invite you to let yourself be questioned in a space of prayer, especially if you are a new or returning student. As we begin this new year, who is the Lord for us?

Is he someone we turn to when times are difficult? Is he someone we experience that we need in our daily life? Do we choose to place many things before him? Is he someone we have not yet fully encountered? Do we feel like we have a personal relationship with him?

Wherever you are on your faith journey, and whatever your answers to these questions, one thing is certain. The Lord Jesus is looking at you today with his loving gaze. His question is short and simple, yet it carries such a profound desire to enter into a relationship with you. Today can be the first day in a truly life-giving relationship. The Lord comes to your door today and knocks. “If any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)

Let us hear the gentle voice of the Lord today, and open the door. He will bring us the joy-filled life we all long for.

God bless,

Patrick Travers

Newman Director