Word to the Wise
Friday, September 26, 2025 - 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." [Luke]
The Gospel According to Luke, in reporting Jesus' well-known question, "Who do you say that I am?", is less dramatic than Matthew's version [Matt. 16:13-20] which contains the "You are Peter and upon this rock, etc." lines. What Luke retains is the prediction of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection and the order to the disciples not to talk about him as the messiah! The "Messianic Secret" always attracts attention more than 2000 years later! Many scripture scholars tell us that Jesus' did not want his mission to be interpreted politically or to be understood only in the terms of miracles, but rather in terms of his sacrifice for the salvation of humankind. The disciples' response to his question indicated that public opinion about Jesus' identity was all over the place. The predictions of the passion place the emphasis and identity where it has to be preached!
Jesus' question still remains, however. Who do we say that he is? Is it less disturbing to focus on the gentle miracle-worker than on the bloody crucified body on the cross? Does the cross have any meaning for us personally? Where does Jesus' resurrection fit in? There is something to be said for that uncomfortable question that our Protestant friends sometimes ask of us Catholics, "Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?" Is that any different from the original question in the gospel? Who DO we say that Jesus is? And do we keep quiet about it? AMEN