Homily from Sunday September 12th – 2th Sunday in Ordinary Time
WHO IS JESUS TO ME? Today’s Gospel focuses on:
The identity of Jesus
The prediction of the death and resurrection of Jesus” and
Teaching on discipleship. All three aspects are intimately connected. Jesus today asks the most fundamental question to disciples “Who do you say that I am?”
This is a question for all generations and today, Jesus is asking us the same question; “Who is Jesus to you and me”. Who is Jesus in my heart at a personal level? Jesus asks each of us to answer this question as a fundamental act of our discipleship and subsequently to live out the consequences of that response. If we want to know what we really believe about Jesus, we only have to look at our lives and see how we are currently allowing Him, or not allowing Him.
Even though Peter initially seemed successful in saying, ‘You are the Messiah”, he failed when he rebuked Jesus when Jesus talked about His death. For Peter, it means that he has unwittingly become the voice of Satan who is tempting the Lord to reject the need of suffering and death as a witness to the Father’s will. That’s why Jesus instructed Peter to “get behind Jesus”. This is a very important lesson for us as disciples.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations of leadership, and it can be easy to forget that we are first and foremost disciples.
Such a pursuit of self-will means that we can end up on the wrong side of the struggle between the Kingdom of God and Evil. In the same way, our selfishness and ego may lead to a heart of temptation which will push God aside because we think of God as secondary to the so called “urgent matters” in our lives.
When we deny or rebuke God’s will in our lives in times of suffering or selfish desires, we are acting against the will of God which will separate us from God, falling into sin, and fall short of the glory of God. We must remind ourselves that in all situations of life, we can count on Jesus, who perfectly understands and knows our situation because He is our God. Remember, God will never allow us to suffer which we cannot handle. “He helps us to face our trials and move forward as we journey back to Him in faith. Trusting in Him brings us the hope and strength to face our challenges.
It’s unfortunate to see that, when we face a crisis, we try everything and everyone to fix it, except…one. What God has told us to do, which is: Turn back to Him, repent, and decisively amend our lives. When we fail in these, we keep on looking for worldly solutions and deny God to act in our lives. True Christianity is a personal encounter with Jesus, and the discipleship of Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him.
In everyone’s life there are two paths to follow: the way of Christ which may seem heavy at the start and will get lighter and lighter, leading to happiness without end, or the way of Satan, which will seem light and pleasant initially but with time however, it will get heavier, leading to sadness and heartbreak.
We have a choice to make. Cross-bearing means death to our ego and selfishness in following the teachings of Christ. We may be rejected by family, friends, or society because we follow Jesus. All of us are called to follow Christ; but few of us really follow. Those who follow him and associate with Him take on new identity and a way of living that pose threats to the world’s corrosive ideologies and idolatries.
Therefore, the question today for us is, who is Jesus to us and how can we be a disciple of Christ? The first reading talks about suffering which brings closer to God through prayer and James in the 2nd reading reminds us that faith without action will not make us righteous before God. It can only be possible through strong faith coming from heart, and practiced through our actions, and maintained through regular personal prayer, reading, and reflecting on Holy Scripture, and actively participating in the sacramental life of the Church.
In this way, the destiny of the disciple becomes the destiny of the master. Now let us ask ourselves again, Who is Jesus to me and how can I become a true disciple?”
Comments