WHO AM I TO YOU?

September 24, Friday

TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

      The prophet Haggai exhorts the Jews after their return from the exile to give everything, even their silver and gold, for the reconstruction of the Temple. Then the living God will be present among them and he will give them peace.

      Jesus asks of each of us today not what others say about him but who he is for us and what he means to us. The answer he is waiting for has not to consist in long declarations but the living response of our lives.

 

First Reading: Haggai 2:1-9

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of God came through the prophet Haggai: “Tell Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and all the people: ‘Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right?

“‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!’—God is speaking.

“‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!’

“‘Get to work, all you people!’—God is speaking.

“‘Yes, get to work! For I am with you.’ The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! ‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.’

6-7 “This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: ‘Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields. And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth and I will fill this Temple with splendor.’ God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.

‘I own the silver,
    I own the gold.’
        Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

“‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’ Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”

 

Gospel: Luke 9:18-22

One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, “What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?”

They said, “John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back.”

He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?”

Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” Jesus then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had said.

He went on, “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive.”

 

Prayer

God our Father,
your Son Jesus asks of us today:
“Who am I for you?”
Forgive us our stammering words,
but this we can say with grateful love:
We thank you that you have shown us in him
how good you are and how much you love us.
We thank you that he appeared
in all the frailty of our own humanity,
and that by his death and resurrection
you have brought us forgiveness and life.
Let him be the meaning of our lives,
for he is Jesus our Savior and our Lord for ever. Amen.

 

Reflection:

True Identity

From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry – with the temptation in the wilderness, the devil tried to get Jesus to confess his true identity. We read in the gospels, that the devil was telling Jesus: If you are the righteous one, if you are the Son of God, do this! Do that! Show to the world your powers…. And then, after several healings or in a few encounters, the demons were shouting at him with these very words: “You are the righteous one! You are the Son of God!”. But the gospel says, “he silenced them”.

In his reflections on the passage, Pope Francis had commented that “The devil is intelligent, he knows more theology than all the theologians together”. And so he wanted Jesus to confess: “I am the Messiah! I have come to save you!”. This confession, would have caused great confusion in the people.

It is in this backdrop, Jesus tests his disciples about their understanding of him. Jesus wants to know the public opinion about him as well as the understanding of the disciples. The public indeed regarded him as a man from God – a Prophet. Yesterday we listened to the anxious voice of Herod Antipas. Herod was perplexed because he didn’t know whether this Jesus was John the Baptist or another. But how about the disciples of Jesus? Peter was spot on with his answer. “You are the Christ.” Here too, Jesus wants to protect his identity. In the writing-style of John the evangelist, we could say, His time had not yet come to reveal himself. So he directed them not to tell this to anyone.

Pope Francis indicated that the only time Jesus allows the crowd to speak of his identity is on Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of the final march. And Jesus prepares the hearts of his disciples and the people to understand this mystery of God’s great love which will be fully revealed on the Cross”. We cannot understand Jesus the Redeemer without the Cross”.

That’s why it is during the crucifixion scene that Luke records the first confession of the identity of Jesus as Messiah – and it is done by the good thief: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Another confession of faith would happen immediately after the death of Jesus, this time by the pagan centurion” who witnessed the death of Jesus: ‘Truly this was the righteous one!’

This is the experience of everyone who comes to believe in Jesus – step by step he prepares us to understand him well. And he prepares us to accompany him with our own crosses on the path toward heaven”. This is the only way to understand the identity of Jesus – the Way of the Cross.

 

Video available on Youtube:  True Identity