Bulletin June 23, 2013 12th Sun in Ordinary Time C

Bulletin June 23, 2013 12^th Sun in Ordinary Time C

Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1; Galatians 3:26-29; Luke 9:18-24
“Who do the crowds say that I am?” Good question. Jesus is asking His disciples what is happening around Him. The people spent hours listening to Him, watching His healing miracles, and observing Him. What was going on inside of them? The disciples must have overheard a lot and I’m sure answered numerous questions from these people. No doubt, some of the questions were, ‘Who exactly is this Jesus? Where did He come from? Where did He receive His learning? Who were His teachers? How come He could do what others could not?’ So the apostles responded what they heard, ‘One of the prophets, or even John the Baptist come back to life or even Elijah.’ They were just reporting what they heard.
Then Jesus looked at them and directly asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Now Jesus had no problem with who He was. Luke had just said that “Jesus was praying in solitude and the disciples were with Him.” No doubt they were watching how He prayed, mesmerized by His rapt attention with His Father. So Jesus asks this question to those closest to Him, apparently wanting to know not what the people were saying, but if they are beginning to understand who He is and what He is about. He wants to know if any of His words and teaching has sunk in. ‘Do they get it?’ It would be nice to be in Jesus’ presence in today’s reading, but it would be very difficult. Why? Because His eyes would find me…and the question directed to each of His apostles would burn into me too. Being a teacher, I would ask questions in the classroom and no one could hide from me…nor could I hide from Jesus if I was present that day…nor can I hide from this question today. Jesus is asking me, “Who do you say that I am?” I can’t escape this question. Luke immediately states that Peter responded; that does not take me off the hook. Jesus is looking at me and waiting for me to reply.
I have to stand up on my own feet, reflect and respond. I take this very seriously. Like Jesus, I must ‘be in solitude…be in prayer…reflect…respond.’ I think this is a prime passage that I can take a pen in hand and write, with the Spirit, my response. And my reply is no doubt the deepest question I have to face. The response will make me face up to every facet of my life. My response will have a tremendous influence on how I live my life; what I think, how I see others, what I choose to do or not to do and how I go about doing it. There is no question in my mind that I don’t want to do this. This means change; and change for me is never easy. So I have to say at this point, I am stuck. What do I do; where do I go?
Jesus helps me so much in my response in the rest of this passage. He tells me what is going to happen in His life: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed an on the third day be raised.” These words are not very comforting; the apostles didn’t think so either. Who wants to be separated from the most important person who has ever stepped into my life?
Well Jesus continues and tells me what it means for me. I take this translation from the New Oxford Annotated Bible, The New Revised Standard Version, because I have to see that this question is directly asked of me today. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will save it.” I need to hear this; I do not like the crosses in my life but they are there. I want everything to be nice and people to be happy and caring, but this is an imperfect world inhabited by imperfect people who want their own way and have no room for God. So Jesus is asking me how I view God in my world. Do I realize completely that God became just like me to show me what I need to do? He suffered, I suffer. He died, I will die. He promised heaven to me and each person, but I must follow His direction as explained in Scripture and through the Church and her teachings. I am called to imitate Him in all I say and do.

Fr. Anthony Kadavil in Teaching & Preaching Resources says this, ”Forgive those who have wronged us?...Love even the people we don’t like?...Give from our want and not our excess?...Think of others before ourselves?...Lay down our lives for our friends?---That’s fine for Jesus, but that’s unrealistic for me. He’s God. I’m not.”
‘But who do you say that I am?’

That’s the question Jesus poses to us this day. Is Jesus my Savior but not my Lord? Is He my Judge but not my friend? Is He my advisor but not my teacher? Is He my brother but not my guide? Is He my companion but not my Shepherd? Who exactly is this Jesus? And why do I choose to follow Him --- why do I choose to surrender my life to Him --- why do I want to proclaim His resurrection --- why do I choose to receive Him at this table --- why do I come here each week to pledge my life to Him, to place my life in His hands once again?

Peter gave his answer. What’s yours? And more importantly, how will our answers shape who we are and who we become.”
Jesus said that my crosses are my way to heaven. He also said that He would never give a cross too heavy for me to bear. And He said that He would help me carry each and every one of my crosses. Do I take Him at His word? Do I avoid looking at the pain and rejection and hurt and see that Jesus has glorified it? I don’t seek suffering, Jesus didn’t; I can see that in the Garden of Gethsemane. But suffering will inevitably be part of my life as it was part of Jesus’ life. As His disciple I suffer living His values. So I reflect on:

• “And they shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”
  
• How much am I willing to sacrifice for love’s sake?
  
• What keeps me from casting aside my deepest prejudices?
  
• What weights down my cross?
  
• How can I help others with their crosses?
  
• What do I hope for? What gives me joy? Do I look at heaven in this way?
  

Sacred Space 2013 puts it this way,

“I answer the question that Jesus asks in many ways. I show who Jesus is to me by attending church, by professing my faith, by acting as Jesus did.

Every time I deny myself I have an opportunity to express my faith in something greater than what I might enjoy here and now. I ask God’s help to take up the crosses that I find, realizing that following Jesus is to live as He lived.”