Stories of Faith

Stained glass windows have a story to tell! That is one of the reasons why stained glass came into prominence because it brought stories of the Bible and the lives of the saints to life. It is remarkable to go in different churches and see the beauty of the windows. One of the windows in the church that I serve, St. John the Baptist, depicts the story of what we hear in our gospel for this weekend. In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asks his disciples who the people say that he is. They tell him what they have heard but then he narrows the question down to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter, being the spokesperson for the disciples says, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The faith of the church is built upon this confession of Peter. Then Jesus says, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys tot he kingdom of heaven." The stained glass window depicts that moment. It shows Peter kneeling in front of our Lord, with him handing the keys to Peter. What is interesting about this window also is that St. Peter's Basilica is in the background. You know the window is dated but we know St. Peter's was not built yet. However, the point is that Peter confessed Jesus to be the Christ and the church is built upon that confession, that rock. In our present day, we continue to build on that foundation that was put forth so many centuries ago. Let us pray that we will remain strong in our faith, share that faith with others, and live it to the fullest! Have a blessed weekend!!!