Sunday, August 24, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church
Saratoga Springs, NY
Isaiah 22: 19 – 23
Psalm 138: 1 – 2, 2 – 3, 6, 8
Romans 11: 33 – 36
Matthew 16: 13 – 20
The last line of today’s Gospel is a key line to understanding what happens prior. At the very end, Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. "Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ." (Matthew 16:20) Well, to be quite honest this statement of Jesus leaves me puzzled and scratching my head. I thought the job of the disciples was to let everyone know that Jesus was the Messiah? Isn’t the job of all of us Christians to tell everyone that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? Well I could give you the theological explanation about the Messianic secret but for the moment keep this in mind as we look at the exchange between Jesus and his disciples.
There is a story about the late, great John Paul II. He went to visit a nursing home in Italy and as he was visiting the patients he came upon one elderly lady in a wheel chair. He begins to engage her in a conversation but to no avail. She didn’t want to talk to him and didn’t seem interested in him in the least. After a few attempts at starting a futile conversation, John Paul II says to the elderly woman: “Do you know who I am?” To which she responded: “No. But if you go to the front desk they may be able to help you.”
Recognition . . . knowing someone and being able to say something about them. Not only do we recognize someone but hopefully we are able to share things we know about a person. However, the only way we can recognize someone and tell others about them is if we have a relationship with them. Jesus didn’t want to disciples to tell others he was the Messiah because he wanted others to come to that knowledge on their own. The only way others could know this is if they had talked to Jesus, if they have taken time to get to know him.
My older brother refuses to call me Father Paul. To him I am the bratty little brother he knew from growing up. My Redemptorists brothers know me by my nickname I received while in High School. The people of the first parish I worked in called me Padj. The parish is Bethpage would call me by my initials: FP. I am afraid to ask what the people of Saratoga are calling me and saying about me after three weeks. We only get to know someone if we are willing to spend time with them.
Jesus begins by asking the disciples who other people say he is. The answers are obvious: a great prophet, perhaps even Elijah or John the Baptist. The answers the others give are not what he is looking for and he turns to ask the key question of his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:20) Last year I worked on a teen retreat and this question was the central theme of our retreat. Indeed this question is key not just for a weekend retreat but it is a crucial question for all of us to answer. “Who do you say Jesus is?” It’s not important how I answer this question. I answer it for myself: Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity; he is the Son of God; he is my friend that I can turn to in prayer when I am in trouble or in need; he is my brother I can share my joys and happiness with. There may be many similarities in our answers but how I answer is important to me; how you answer is important for you.
In order to answer this question you have to have some type of relationship with the Lord. If I was talking to a married couple of thirty years and one of them told me they had not talked to their spouse in the past ten years I would say their marriage was in some type of trouble. How can you say that this is the most important person of your life and you don’t even talk to them? When people are important in our lives we make every attempt to stay in touch with them. We call, we write letters, we send emails, we even text message each other. “Who do you say that Jesus is?” If you can’t answer that question, or you struggle in doing so, I would say that you need to spend some time deepening your relationship with the Lord. The answer you can give to this question is one of the most important answers you will give. That’s why Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah; he wants people to come to their answer based on their own personal experience – based on their personal relationship with him.
Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire in the thirteenth century was interested in trying to find out what humanity’s natural language was. Because children learn their language from hearing those around them speak he needed to create an environment where this would not occur. Would the first words from these children be Latin, Greek or Hebrew? He separated a group of new born babies and hired nurses who agreed not to speak and not even make any sounds around these children. What happened next was tragic – within a few months all these babies died. Cut off from any communication with others, hearing the voice of another literally destroyed their lives.
Our life in the Lord needs to hear his voice. Prayer is the way we converse with the Lord. If there is no communication with him then our spiritual lives will wither up and die. You might be saying: But where can I find time in my busy life to converse with the Lord. We are all pulled in so many different directions but a relationship with the Lord is a matter of life and death. If we are too busy to talk to him, to have a relationship with him then we will never be able to answer the crucial question: “Who do you say that Jesus is?” Prayer does not have to take hours to be meaningful. What is the first thing many of us do when we get in the car – we turn on the radio. Perhaps we can spend those moments driving in our car saying a few prayers, talking to the Lord, finding out who he is for us. As we wait in line, be it in the grocery store, Target or wherever we can spend some moments in conversation with the Lord instead of checking out the latest news in the Gossip papers. “Who do you say Jesus is for you?” A crucial question that can only be answered if there is a relationship with the person of Jesus.
One way we answer this question is that Jesus is the one who feeds us in the Eucharist. We gather today and every Sunday around the table of the Lord to receive His Body and Blood. Not only is Jesus looking to enter into a deep relationship with us, but at each Mass he wishes to be part of us. “Who do you say Jesus is?” He is the one who becomes one with me each and every time I receive Eucharist.
As we continue with this celebration let us continue to reflect upon this question. As we move outside and go through our day and week to come may we continue to reflect upon this question. Jesus not only asked this question of his disciples over 2,000 years ago but continues to ask it of each and every one of us. It’s a crucial question and the answer demands that we know the one we are asked about. How will you answer this question? As your relationship with the Lord deepens and as your prayer life grows your answer might change. That’s OK because at least you have an answer. May today be a day when you spend some time talking to him. May this week ahead find you continuing to offer your answer to him. “Who do you say that Jesus is?” AMEN!
Isaiah 22: 19 – 23
Psalm 138: 1 – 2, 2 – 3, 6, 8
Romans 11: 33 – 36
Matthew 16: 13 – 20
The last line of today’s Gospel is a key line to understanding what happens prior. At the very end, Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. "Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ." (Matthew 16:20) Well, to be quite honest this statement of Jesus leaves me puzzled and scratching my head. I thought the job of the disciples was to let everyone know that Jesus was the Messiah? Isn’t the job of all of us Christians to tell everyone that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? Well I could give you the theological explanation about the Messianic secret but for the moment keep this in mind as we look at the exchange between Jesus and his disciples.
There is a story about the late, great John Paul II. He went to visit a nursing home in Italy and as he was visiting the patients he came upon one elderly lady in a wheel chair. He begins to engage her in a conversation but to no avail. She didn’t want to talk to him and didn’t seem interested in him in the least. After a few attempts at starting a futile conversation, John Paul II says to the elderly woman: “Do you know who I am?” To which she responded: “No. But if you go to the front desk they may be able to help you.”
Recognition . . . knowing someone and being able to say something about them. Not only do we recognize someone but hopefully we are able to share things we know about a person. However, the only way we can recognize someone and tell others about them is if we have a relationship with them. Jesus didn’t want to disciples to tell others he was the Messiah because he wanted others to come to that knowledge on their own. The only way others could know this is if they had talked to Jesus, if they have taken time to get to know him.
My older brother refuses to call me Father Paul. To him I am the bratty little brother he knew from growing up. My Redemptorists brothers know me by my nickname I received while in High School. The people of the first parish I worked in called me Padj. The parish is Bethpage would call me by my initials: FP. I am afraid to ask what the people of Saratoga are calling me and saying about me after three weeks. We only get to know someone if we are willing to spend time with them.
Jesus begins by asking the disciples who other people say he is. The answers are obvious: a great prophet, perhaps even Elijah or John the Baptist. The answers the others give are not what he is looking for and he turns to ask the key question of his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:20) Last year I worked on a teen retreat and this question was the central theme of our retreat. Indeed this question is key not just for a weekend retreat but it is a crucial question for all of us to answer. “Who do you say Jesus is?” It’s not important how I answer this question. I answer it for myself: Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity; he is the Son of God; he is my friend that I can turn to in prayer when I am in trouble or in need; he is my brother I can share my joys and happiness with. There may be many similarities in our answers but how I answer is important to me; how you answer is important for you.
In order to answer this question you have to have some type of relationship with the Lord. If I was talking to a married couple of thirty years and one of them told me they had not talked to their spouse in the past ten years I would say their marriage was in some type of trouble. How can you say that this is the most important person of your life and you don’t even talk to them? When people are important in our lives we make every attempt to stay in touch with them. We call, we write letters, we send emails, we even text message each other. “Who do you say that Jesus is?” If you can’t answer that question, or you struggle in doing so, I would say that you need to spend some time deepening your relationship with the Lord. The answer you can give to this question is one of the most important answers you will give. That’s why Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah; he wants people to come to their answer based on their own personal experience – based on their personal relationship with him.
Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire in the thirteenth century was interested in trying to find out what humanity’s natural language was. Because children learn their language from hearing those around them speak he needed to create an environment where this would not occur. Would the first words from these children be Latin, Greek or Hebrew? He separated a group of new born babies and hired nurses who agreed not to speak and not even make any sounds around these children. What happened next was tragic – within a few months all these babies died. Cut off from any communication with others, hearing the voice of another literally destroyed their lives.
Our life in the Lord needs to hear his voice. Prayer is the way we converse with the Lord. If there is no communication with him then our spiritual lives will wither up and die. You might be saying: But where can I find time in my busy life to converse with the Lord. We are all pulled in so many different directions but a relationship with the Lord is a matter of life and death. If we are too busy to talk to him, to have a relationship with him then we will never be able to answer the crucial question: “Who do you say that Jesus is?” Prayer does not have to take hours to be meaningful. What is the first thing many of us do when we get in the car – we turn on the radio. Perhaps we can spend those moments driving in our car saying a few prayers, talking to the Lord, finding out who he is for us. As we wait in line, be it in the grocery store, Target or wherever we can spend some moments in conversation with the Lord instead of checking out the latest news in the Gossip papers. “Who do you say Jesus is for you?” A crucial question that can only be answered if there is a relationship with the person of Jesus.
One way we answer this question is that Jesus is the one who feeds us in the Eucharist. We gather today and every Sunday around the table of the Lord to receive His Body and Blood. Not only is Jesus looking to enter into a deep relationship with us, but at each Mass he wishes to be part of us. “Who do you say Jesus is?” He is the one who becomes one with me each and every time I receive Eucharist.
As we continue with this celebration let us continue to reflect upon this question. As we move outside and go through our day and week to come may we continue to reflect upon this question. Jesus not only asked this question of his disciples over 2,000 years ago but continues to ask it of each and every one of us. It’s a crucial question and the answer demands that we know the one we are asked about. How will you answer this question? As your relationship with the Lord deepens and as your prayer life grows your answer might change. That’s OK because at least you have an answer. May today be a day when you spend some time talking to him. May this week ahead find you continuing to offer your answer to him. “Who do you say that Jesus is?” AMEN!
1 comment:
Bless you, for keeping a blog of your sermons! What a great way of keeping up with the times and reaching out to people who might have missed out the first time you shared it during Mass!
Looking forward to meeting you in person,
Jen Kerr
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