Word to the Wise
Friday, September 27, 2013 - Friday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
[Hag 2:1-9 and Luke 9:18-22]"But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God." He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
SEPTEMBER 27 ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, priest
I think it would be an interesting experience to ask a group of committed Christians the question that Jesus asks of his disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" Perhaps we should ask ourselves that question as we read today's gospel passage. Would our response be influenced by the thought that we might be mistaken or uninformed? That was Peter's problem in the way the evangelist Luke uses the scene. [Contrast it, if you have time, with the parallel scenes in Mark and Matthew where the answer is far more important than here! Mt 16:13-20 and Mk 8:27-30] Peter may have been speaking for himself or for the group, but in any case, Jesus corrects ["rebukes"] them because the title used would be understood as a political one. [Christos = anointed deliverer] Instead Jesus speaks of his coming "passion" as a more accurate description of himself and his mission.
The question remains for all of us now, as it did for the disciples then, an important one. Who do we say that Jesus is? Do we reach for the catechism to tell us? Or is there a response ready in our hearts and minds and souls? Are we afraid to even ask the question, much less try to answer it? It won't go away, but we can spend a lifetime trying to answer it! AMEN