21 OTA.11; Isa 22:19-23; Rom 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20
There is a great little story about a child who woke up one night after a frightening nightmare. She was convinced that there were all kinds of monsters & goblins lurking under her bed & in the corners of the room. She ran to her parent’s bedroom & after her mother had calmed her down, she took the child back to her room and said, “You don’t need to be afraid, you aren’t alone here. God is right here with you in your room.”
The little girl said, “I know that God is here,
… but I need someone in my room with skin on!”
(Source: The Holy Longing, R. Rolheiser)
God with skin –on … from the wisdom of children we learn divine truths.
Question: Who is Jesus for you?
In the New Testament, the teaching of the Church, Jesus has a multitude of names. Jesus is … Son of God, Son of Adam, Word Made Flesh, healer, teacher, forgiver, miracle-worker, Savior, LORD. Each title reflects a facet of a complex person we call …“the Christ.” And each designation implies a variance in how we relate to him, how we think of him,
Coming to faith is not automatic, nor is it just a matter of knowing the catechism. Peter gives us a good example of how to come to faith in Jesus. Peter spent time with Jesus in a human way, experiencing his company, following him, watching what he did, listening to what he said, & noting how other people … reacted to him. Jesus was very different.
Peter reflected deeply on the question of who Jesus was. And when it was time for the question to be posed to him directly, Peter hadn’t figured it out by himself, but he was open to the gift of faith. Jesus tells him, “Flesh & blood (human evidence) has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey describes a similar experience. Attending a theological seminary in an age when long hair &
2 sandals meant “hippie,” he commented on the uniform appearance of his classmates. Short hair, business attire, Bible in hand -one could spot a future pastor at a hundred yards. Yancey was shocked to realize that Jesus would never have gained admission at his school.
Jesus is not what the Jews expected, not what his disciples expected
& not what we expect- he is far greater.
At World Youth Day in Madrid (8/16-21) they will sing a song,
“Firm in Faith” – Stanza 2 says:
Your hands, they hold us when we have been wounded,
Your eyes, they purify the way we see things,
Your lips, they speak to us words of forgiveness,
Your feet, they guide our steps to find life’s fullness.
Oh Christ you are our brother,
Oh Christ, you are our friend
You are our Lord,
Make us firm in faith. (Source: USCCB/2010 Arzobispado Madrid/2010 San Pablo)
At this Liturgy of Real Life, Jesus is for me, “God with skin-on,” Immanuel - The One who cares. If Jesus is that for you – dare to be “planted & built-up in Jesus Christ, firm in faith” (Col 2:7/ WYD Theme 2011).
Dare to be open like Peter,
dare to believe in a better world,
And … dare to live a REAL LIFE … in Christ
There is a great little story about a child who woke up one night after a frightening nightmare. She was convinced that there were all kinds of monsters & goblins lurking under her bed & in the corners of the room. She ran to her parent’s bedroom & after her mother had calmed her down, she took the child back to her room and said, “You don’t need to be afraid, you aren’t alone here. God is right here with you in your room.”
The little girl said, “I know that God is here,
… but I need someone in my room with skin on!”
(Source: The Holy Longing, R. Rolheiser)
God with skin –on … from the wisdom of children we learn divine truths.
Question: Who is Jesus for you?
In the New Testament, the teaching of the Church, Jesus has a multitude of names. Jesus is … Son of God, Son of Adam, Word Made Flesh, healer, teacher, forgiver, miracle-worker, Savior, LORD. Each title reflects a facet of a complex person we call …“the Christ.” And each designation implies a variance in how we relate to him, how we think of him,
… how we think of ourselves.
Jesus creates a stir wherever he goes. When preaching in the temple, sparring with the Pharisees, healing the sick & reaching out to the unwanted, he makes an impression upon people. Clearly more than an ordinary human being, Jesus is a question that demands an answer:… “Who do you say that I am?”
In today’s telling of the Gospel story Peter knows something rather special that has escaped the others: he says, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.”
The other disciples know what others have said: Jesus is Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets, or John the Baptist come back to life. They know that Jesus is not quite what the people of Israel expected in a Messiah. Coming to faith is not automatic, nor is it just a matter of knowing the catechism. Peter gives us a good example of how to come to faith in Jesus. Peter spent time with Jesus in a human way, experiencing his company, following him, watching what he did, listening to what he said, & noting how other people … reacted to him. Jesus was very different.
Peter reflected deeply on the question of who Jesus was. And when it was time for the question to be posed to him directly, Peter hadn’t figured it out by himself, but he was open to the gift of faith. Jesus tells him, “Flesh & blood (human evidence) has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey describes a similar experience. Attending a theological seminary in an age when long hair &
2 sandals meant “hippie,” he commented on the uniform appearance of his classmates. Short hair, business attire, Bible in hand -one could spot a future pastor at a hundred yards. Yancey was shocked to realize that Jesus would never have gained admission at his school.
He simply didn’t look the part! (I had the same experience!)
Though Christianity was profoundly countercultural from its beginning, we sometimes allow our cultural biases to “tame” its message. For many, being a good Christian is the same as being patriotic - hardly the stance of a man who challenges both religious & political establishments. Others think that to be a good Christian means to live in a nice neighborhood, drive a respectable car & keep company only with society’s upper crust – again, not exactly the trail blazed by a homeless man who dined with prostitutes & criminals.Jesus is not what the Jews expected, not what his disciples expected
& not what we expect- he is far greater.
Our faith can only profit from a deeper, more personal answer to the question of his identity. (Source: Weekday Homily Helps /StAnthony Msger, 2/15/07)
To receive Jesus as Peter did, acknowledging him as the “Christ, the Son of the Living God,” is to receive our own identity & vocation as his follower. The gift is offered & we accept it. Until this happens, we are still without our true identity, still waiting … for our real life to begin.At World Youth Day in Madrid (8/16-21) they will sing a song,
“Firm in Faith” – Stanza 2 says:
Your hands, they hold us when we have been wounded,
Your eyes, they purify the way we see things,
Your lips, they speak to us words of forgiveness,
Your feet, they guide our steps to find life’s fullness.
Oh Christ you are our brother,
Oh Christ, you are our friend
You are our Lord,
Make us firm in faith. (Source: USCCB/2010 Arzobispado Madrid/2010 San Pablo)
At this Liturgy of Real Life, Jesus is for me, “God with skin-on,” Immanuel - The One who cares. If Jesus is that for you – dare to be “planted & built-up in Jesus Christ, firm in faith” (Col 2:7/ WYD Theme 2011).
Dare to be open like Peter,
dare to believe in a better world,
And … dare to live a REAL LIFE … in Christ