Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus' words in today's Gospel are among the most challenging words of discipleship: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. But when Jesus explains that the Messiah must suffer, be rejected, and be killed, Peter cannot accept it. He wants a Messiah without the cross. Jesus reminds him that God's way is different from human expectations.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Today we rejoice as a parish and school family because we celebrate our patroness, Saint Rose of Lima, a woman who discovered that holiness is possible in every circumstance when the heart belongs completely to Christ.

Saint Rose of Lima lived in Peru in the seventeenth century. From her earliest years, she desired to give herself entirely to God.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Today's Gospel presents us with a woman who comes to Jesus with a desperate heart: "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." She is a Canaanite woman-an outsider, someone whom the disciples would not naturally consider part of the people of God. Yet she approaches Jesus with remarkable faith.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

After feeding the multitude, Jesus sends His disciples ahead by boat while He goes up the mountain to pray. During the night, the sea becomes rough, the wind is against them, and fear fills their hearts. Then Jesus comes to them walking on the water and says, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Today’s Gospel presents one of the most beloved miracles of Jesus: the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Yet the true miracle begins even before the bread is multiplied. Jesus sees the crowd, is moved with compassion, heals their sick, and then invites His disciples to participate in His saving work.