Homily: Twenty-sixth Friday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 9:18-22)
Twenty-sixth Friday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 9:18-22) “Who Do You Say Jesus Is?”
Teaching and learning happen in interesting ways. We can read a book about playing the guitar. But until we pick up a guitar and start to pluck the strings, we don’t really know how difficult it is. We can go to a class on chemistry and read about how different compounds interact. However, we don’t really learn much until we get in a lab and start to work with various experiments with our own hands.
The Gospel express similar sentiments about belief in Jesus. Our Lord asks two interesting questions. The first question is, “Who do people say that I am.” The apostles report what they have been told about Jesus. We have all been taught about Jesus throughout our lives at Sunday Mass and in the religion classes we have taken.
If we were look at all the books that were ever written and count how many books are about Jesus, we probably would find that the volumes that seek to explain who Jesus is are innumerable. Everybody has composed a tome about Jesus from Tomas Jefferson to Bill O’Reilly.
One of the fascinating facts of my ministerial life was when I discovered that the secular university, I was a chaplain at had a religion department. What was interesting was that every professor who taught in the department was an avowed atheist. The professors presented their courses about different religions as outside observers. It was purely an academic study. They had not been moved to strike up a relationship with Christ.
Jesus’ second question in this Gospel was the more relevant question. “Who do You Say that I am?” Peter spoke from his heart. He believed that Jesus was the anointed, the Christ, which meant that he believed Jesus was someone who was more than a mere man. Jesus, for Peter, had a supernatural call from God. That belief led Peter to follow Jesus and imitate him up to the point of dying on his own cross.
Reflection Questions:
- Who are the people who have taught me the most about Jesus? What did I learn from them?
- If someone were to ask me who Jesus is what would I say? What adjectives would I use to describe him?
Dear Parishioners,
I have been reminded once again of the dangers of COVID. Last Sunday I was called to the hospital to anoint a woman with the virus. She was 53. She had caught the virus and was convalescing at home. She thought she would shake off the sickness and be fine, but then things began to unravel. Within a few days of her hospitalization, she was dead. This has been a situation I have witnessed far too often in the last couple years.
Once you see someone dying of this disease you appreciate the need to receive the vaccine and to practice appropriate safety measures. We are now moving into the winter months. I would ask people to mask up at church and follow other safety measures because we are going to be interacting in close proximity to each other. I thank you in advance for you cooperation.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark