THE WORD:
In today’s Gospel, Peter is a model of vacillating faith – a model that typifies our own reaction to the call to discipleship.Caesar Philippi was a bazaar of worship places and temples, with altars erected to every concept of the divinity from the gods of Greece to the godhead of Caesar. Amid this marketplace of gods, Jesus asks Peter and the Twelve, “Who do people say that I am? . . . Who do you say that I am?” This is a turning point in Mark's Gospel: Until now, Mark's Jesus has been reluctant to have people believe in him only because of his miracles. Jesus talks, for the first time in Mark’s Gospel, about dark things ahead: rejection, suffering, death and resurrection (concepts that the disciples are unable to grasp).
In this incident (recorded by all three synoptics), Peter immediately confesses his faith in Jesus as the Messiah -- the Messiah of victory and salvation. But when Jesus begins to speak of a Messiah who will suffer rejection and death, Peter objects. Peter’s reaction is ours, as well: We prefer to follow the popular, happy Jesus, the healing and comforting Jesus – but we back away from the suffering, humble, unsettling Jesus of the cross.
HOMILY NOTES:
Every moment we live, every decision and choice we make, every good thing we do is our most revealing and telling response to the question, Who do you say I am? Our love for family and friends, our commitment to the highest moral and ethical standards, our willingness to take the first step toward reconciliation and forgiveness are, ultimately, our true confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Love and Word of God incarnate.Only in “denying ourselves” in order to imitate the servanthood of Christ do we experience the true depth of our faith; only in embracing his compassion and humility in our lives do we enable the Spirit of God to renew and transform our world in God’s life and love.
We cannot belong to the company of Jesus unless we embrace the Crucified One’s spirit of selfless servanthood; we cannot stand with the Crucified Jesus unless we unconditionally and completely love and forgive others as he did; we cannot hope to share in the victory of the Risen Christ unless we "crucify" our fears, self-consciousness and prejudices that blind us from seeing him in the faces of every human being.
The church downstairs
The pastor calls it the “church downstairs.” They have a good problem: they need more chairs. For years, Alcoholic Anonymous has met in the church hall every day of the week, sometimes twice a day. The supportive pastor started thinking of those meetings as the “church downstairs” after a new parishioner told him how she came to join the parish after first going “downstairs” for several months.
The priest occasionally sits in on the meetings and it has helped him understand what it means to be “church.” Three things about AA have struck him:
First, there is a “genuine and low-key sense” of welcoming. But it is not simply a matter of a designated greeter shaking every new hand. In fact, “AA is at its most hospitable after the meeting is over. No one is bolting for the door when the last word is pronounced. Instead, people stay around for another cup of coffee, especially if someone new has joined them.”
The second thing the pastor has noticed is how the “church downstairs” rallies around the weak, the powerless, and the hurting. “Even those some might relegate to the social fringe are met with acceptance in the group, not least because a common denominator — We are all powerless over alcohol — remains central.”
And the third thing that Alcoholics Anonymous groups demonstrate so well, the pastor admires, is “the belief that everyone has a story to tell and a right to be heard. This belief is essential not only to the Twelve Steps, but to the sense of commonality and communion that is generated in the group. Everyone can learn something from another person’s story . . . ”
Welcoming strangers. Lifting up the weak and struggling. Listening to what everyone has to say. Maybe that’s why they need more chairs at the “church downstairs.”
[From “The Church Downstairs: What Catholics Can Learn from Alcoholics Anonymous” by Father Nonomen, Commonweal, July 13, 2012.]
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2. From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
#1. Shakespeare and Jesus. It was the 19th century British essayist, Charles Lamb, who snatched the 17th century playwright William Shakespeare from his undeserved obscurity, returning him to the limelight of fame. Charles Lamb was once involved in a discussion on the question, who is the greatest literary genius of all time? Two names finally emerged: William Shakespeare and Jesus of Nazareth. Lamb put an end to the debate when he said: “I’ll tell you the difference between these two men. If Shakespeare walked into this room right now, we would all rise to greet him, but if Christ came in, we would all fall down and worship.” There is the essential difference between the Man from Nazareth and all other great people you can think of. Jesus Christ is God, and all others, no matter what their deeds, are but fools strutting on the stage for a brief time and then exiting. Today’s gospel describes who Jesus really is and the unique conditions for Christian discipleship.
# 2: "Who do Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam say that I am?" The first two groups claim to be Christian and Islam speaks about Christ. But all of them have a confused Christology. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly called the Mormons, incorporates the Lord's name in its title, but its beliefs about Jesus are fatally flawed. A basic compendium of the Mormon gospel is titled Mormon Doctrine. It was written by apostle Bruce Redd McConkie, an influential Mormon theologian. According to McConkie, Mormons believe that "Lucifer, the son of the morning, is our elder brother, and the brother of Jesus." The Journal of Discourses, a 26-volume Mormon publication presenting public sermons by many early Mormon leaders, includes such statements as this: "Jesus, our elder brother was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our father in Heaven." The same volumes assert, "Jesus was married at Cana of Galilee and had many wives ... he also had many children." From these writings, it is clear that the Mormons fail the test when it comes to answering Jesus Christ's question, "Who do you say I am?" (v. 29). Ask the Jehovah's Witnesses, "Who do you say Jesus is?" The Jehovah's Witness publication, New Heavens and New Earth, declares by way of response, "Michael the Archangel is no other than the only begotten Son of God, now Jesus Christ." Consider the religion of Islam. Ask the Muslim who Jesus is and the answer we get from official publications is "Jesus was no more than a mortal whom Allah favored and made an example to the Israelites. They are unbelievers who say God is Messiah, Mary's son" (Sura 43:59, Quran). Until people see Jesus as Peter did, as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God," they miss the mark
#3: Who do you say that I am?”
On Sunday morning a man showed up at church with both of his ears terribly blistered. So his pastor asked, "What happened to you Jim?"
"I was lying on the couch watching a ball game on TV while my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she went out, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang, and keeping my eyes on the TV, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear."
"How dreadful," gasped the pastor. "But how did the other ear get burned?"
"Well, you see, I'd no sooner hung up, the guy called back!" He just didn't get it. Lots of folks never get it and never understand how life really works, even at the simplest levels. That's why Jesus is pressing his followers — and us with a challenging question in today’s gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” (Msgr. Dennis Clarke)
1) You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff.
When he first came to the United States from Russia he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk--you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice--you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, "What a country!"
Smirnoff is joking but we make these assumptions about Christian Transformation-that people change instantly at salvation. Some traditions call it repentance and renewal. Some call it Sanctification of the believer. Whatever you call it most traditions expect some quick fix to sin. According to this belief, when someone gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. We go to church as if we are going to the grocery store: Powdered Christian. Just add water and disciples are born not made.
Unfortunately, there is no such powder and disciples of Jesus Christ are not instantly born. They are slowly raised through many trials, suffering, and temptations ...
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One of the most popular shows from last season is returning this fall with ads asking potential audiences, "What would you do if your weren't 'handicapped' by sight?"
"The Voice" is a talent show that keeps the judges in the dark, so to speak. It requires them to judge all the contestants only on the quality of their voices. The judges' backs are turned and they never see the performer. Power, poise, presence, emotion, erudition, excitement - it all has to be conveyed to the judges only by the sound of the voice - not by any see-me-showmanship. The power to convince, convict, and control is not in the contestants own hands. It is in their tongues.
The power of the tongue was of central concern to James in today's epistle text. And what power it has. Did you know the tongue can lift up to 80 times its own weight? In fact, did you know the strongest muscle in the body is the tongue? The only other muscle that comes close is the masseter muscle - that's the thick muscle in the cheek located at the back of the jaw that opens and shuts your mouth. But it's not technically a muscle, since it's also made up of bones. It does, however, clamp the mouth shut, and the need to clamp the mouth shut is the theme of our text from James this morning...
___________________3) Music in the Soul
Paganini, the great violinist, came out before his audience one day and made the discovery just as the applause ended that there was something wrong with his violin. He looked at it a second and then saw that it was not his famous and valuable violin, but a cheap substitute. He felt paralyzed for a moment, then turned to his audience and told them there had been some mistake and he did not have his own violin. He stepped back behind the curtain thinking that it was still where he had left it, but discovered that someone had stolen his violin and left this old second hand one in its place. Paganini remained back of the curtain for a moment, then came out before his audience and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I will show you that the music is not in the instrument but in the soul." And he played as he had never played before; and out of that second hand instrument, the music poured forth until his audience was enraptured with enthusiasm, and the applause almost lifted the roof off the building, because the man had revealed to them that the music was not in the machine but in his own soul.
Don't let anyone tell you that the soul does not exist. We were created in the image of God. That doesn't mean God looks like us. It means there is something divine within us.
_______________________________4) The Hill of Crosses
The people of Lithuania take cross bearing a little more seriously than we do. For them the cross symbolizes faith, hope and love. There are crosses are everywhere in the countryside, on roads, in city parks and village squares. Communities and individuals erect crosses to bring them health and to commemorate events like weddings, births and christenings. Crosses are also erected to commemorate historical events. One of these is the Baltic Way, in which millions of people linked hands stretching across the Baltics from Estonia to Lithuania on August 25, 1989. About 9 monuments commemorate this extraordinary event.
The nation's pride is the Hill of Crosses, located north of Siauliai. Lithuanians erected crosses there as early as the mid-19th century. The Soviet government couldn't tolerate that kind of spiritual expression, so they totally destroyed the hill in 1961, then again in 1973 and 1975. But people kept erecting more crosses, until in 1980 their destruction stopped. Today the crosses number in the many thousands. They are different sizes and shapes, some simple, some ornate, but they immortalize Lithuania's troubles, misfortunes, joys, hope and faith.
For them, the cross is more than a symbol in the church. It is symbol for the world to see. A symbol that will not go away. It is a symbol of sacrifice. A sacrifice that gives each and every one of us hope and faith and courage.
Billy D. Strayhorn, At Cross Purposes
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5) Who Do You Say He Is?
If I told you to pull out a piece of paper and write on it who you say Jesus is what would you write? We all have some answer; we all have some images of Jesus. Some of them are the images we learned as children in Sunday school which have proved troubling and we don't' have anything to replace them with. Sometimes we dismiss Jesus on the basis of what we knew about Jesus at age six. Some of us have never examined the evidence for ourselves.
One of my main goals in preaching is to gain a fresh hearing for Jesus, especially among those who believe they already understand him. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you probably don't. Because what happens sometimes is that presumed familiarity has led to unfamiliarity. Jesus is sometimes obstructed by clouds of well-intentioned misinformation.
One of my main goals in preaching is to gain a fresh hearing for Jesus, especially among those who believe they already understand him. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you probably don't. Because what happens sometimes is that presumed familiarity has led to unfamiliarity. Jesus is sometimes obstructed by clouds of well-intentioned misinformation.
But ultimately, rather than give you my answer to the question I'd rather challenge you to answer the question for yourself because that's the only answer that matters. Is he Messiah? If that's what you think, what does that mean? Jesus clearly didn't' fit into what a Messiah was expected to be. Messiahs were supposed to have power, were supposed to take charge, were supposed to set things right and free the Jews from political expression. But Jesus refused to stiff arm anybody. He refused to dominate or to take up arms.
Is he Savior? OK. But what is he saving us from and what is he saving us to? Some people clearly had no interest in being saved. When Jesus said the poor are precious and the rich are in big trouble, only those on one side of that equation found it intriguing.
Is he Teacher? Surely, but is that all?
Who do you say he is? Messiah, Savior, Lord, shaman, teacher, friend, prophet, prince of peace?
Now, as you try and answer that question, don't be too alarmed if you cant' nail it down. Even those of us who wrestle with the question regularly find it difficult, because Jesus is sometimes downright incomprehensible; he is often enigmatic, ambiguous. From the very beginning, who Jesus was, what he was about, was far from self-evident. There were people who stood face-to-face with Jesus and said, "This is God incarnate." There appear to be many more who said, "This man is nuts." Although I think that for most of us, the biggest issue isn't that we've listened to Jesus and found him incomprehensible; it's that we've listened to him and found him too damned difficult.
Now, as you try and answer that question, don't be too alarmed if you cant' nail it down. Even those of us who wrestle with the question regularly find it difficult, because Jesus is sometimes downright incomprehensible; he is often enigmatic, ambiguous. From the very beginning, who Jesus was, what he was about, was far from self-evident. There were people who stood face-to-face with Jesus and said, "This is God incarnate." There appear to be many more who said, "This man is nuts." Although I think that for most of us, the biggest issue isn't that we've listened to Jesus and found him incomprehensible; it's that we've listened to him and found him too damned difficult.
Herb Miller, Who Do You Say That I Am?
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6) Defining Christ
Every photographer knows the importance of having the camera lens in focus before triggering the shutter. You can set the right shutter speed. You can open the lens to its proper setting. But if that lens is not in focus, the picture will be worthless.
Anyone who's trying to sell something these days knows the importance of having an accurate focus on the market for which a product is intended. Whether you're trying to sell soap or soft drinks, it's necessary to know exactly which people will most likely purchase your product. On what age group or sector of the public do you focus your advertising?
So Jesus realized that if people were going to follow him, and if his followers were going to be truly effective Christians in the world, they needed to know exactly who he was. They also needed to know precisely what was involved in being a Christian.
So Jesus realized that if people were going to follow him, and if his followers were going to be truly effective Christians in the world, they needed to know exactly who he was. They also needed to know precisely what was involved in being a Christian.
That's probably one reason why he asked this simple, but all-important question in our Bible reading. "Tell me," he says, "who do people say I am?" And a little later he refines the question: "What about you?" he asked them. "Who do you say I am?"
Richard W. Patt, Partners in the Impossible, CSS Publishing Company
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Marva Dawn in Reaching Out without Dumbing Down suggests the possibility of different Christs today when she writes: At the 1987 Vancouver World's Fair, the Christian pavilion's presentation utilized glitzy double-reversed photography and flashing lasers. When I tried to explain my qualms about the production to an attendant who had asked me how I liked their "show," she protested that it had saved many people. I asked, "Saved by what kind of Christ?" If people are saved by a spectacular Christ, will they find him in the fumbling of their own devotional life or in the humble services of local parishes where pastors and organists make mistakes? Will a glitzy portrayal of Christ nurture in new believers his character of willing suffering and sacrificial obedience? Will it create an awareness of the idolatries of our age and lead to repentance? And does a flashy, hard-rock sound track bring people to a Christ who calls us away from the world's superficiality to deeper reflection and meditation? [p. 50]
Marva Dawn, Reaching Out without Dumbing Down. Submitted by Brian Stoffregen
There was a certain bishop, in the horse and buggy days, who had two horses named Pride and Prejudice. He said on one occasion that people thought it was awful that a bishop should be drawn hither and thither by Pride and Prejudice, but he reassured them that it was a wonderful thing that a Bishop would have Pride and Prejudice under control.
That's a wonderful thing for any of us. It is the test of our manhood and womanhood that we are able to deny ourselves. The world says that to be a real man or a real woman we must give in to pleasure, but that's absurd. Any creature can give in to natural impulses.
King Duncan
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9) He Is the Son of God
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
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10) On Sunday He Is God
There are very few who in their hearts do not believe in God, but what they will not do is give Him exclusive right of way. ... They are not ready to promise full allegiance to God alone. Many a professing Christian is a stumbling-block because his worship is divided. On Sunday he worships God; on weekdays God has little or no place in his thoughts. I want people to place their faith in Jesus and motivate them to live more obediently.
D.L. Moody
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There is a fable about a man who lived in the desert. He would wake up every morning and follow his shadow. So as the sun moved across the sky from east to west the man essentially walked in a large oval. At sundown he ended up where he had started. This continued for years. The man walked in circles day after day, following his shadow. One night the man heard the voice of God in a dream while he slept. The voice told him to stop following his shadow. Instead, "Follow the sun," the voice challenged, "And you will experience life as you have never dreamed it could be."
The man thought for many days about his vision of God while he continued to walk around in circles in the desert...
12) The Speller Boy
Once upon a time there was a very bright young man who was the greatest speller in his school. He won all the spelling bees even when he was in sixth grade. Then he went into the bees with other schools, and finally in the whole city. He kept on winning, easily. He was really good. Alas he knew he was good and bragged about it to everyone who would listen. His classmates were proud of him, but they didn’t like his boasting. He’s really good said one of his friend. But I wish he’d lose because he used to be a nice boy and now he’s a pill. Shut up all the others said quickly, though they had been thinking the same thing.
Well, finally came the big state championship. If he won that he would go on to the nationals – and probably to the Olympics only they don’t have spelling bees do they?
So he went to the match with the teacher who had helped him all through the year. At the very end, only the boy and a very nasty and ill tempered girl remained. He was asked to spell prestidigitation. He said the word and then confidently began to spell.
Then you know what? He blanked out. Completely.
He had no idea how to spell the word. So he missed the third “i”. The nasty little girl, who was also much too pretty, got it right of course. Our hero was very mad. He blamed his teacher and wouldn’t talk to his classmates. He even blamed God. It wasn’t fair, he kept saying over and over and over. I deserved to win. After awhile he got over it.
13) “Who do you say that I am?”
On Sunday morning a man showed up at church with both of his ears terribly blistered. So his pastor asked, "What happened to you Jim?"
13) “Who do you say that I am?”
On Sunday morning a man showed up at church with both of his ears terribly blistered. So his pastor asked, "What happened to you Jim?"
"I was lying on the couch watching a ball game on TV while my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she went out, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang, and keeping my eyes on the TV, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear."
"How dreadful," gasped the pastor. "But how did the other ear get burned?"
"Well, you see, I'd no sooner hung up, the guy called back!" He just didn't get it. Lots of folks never get it and never understand how life really works, even at the simplest levels. That's why Jesus is pressing his followers — and us with a challenging question in today’s gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” (Msgr. Dennis Clarke)
14) Shakespeare and Jesus.
It was the 19th century British essayist, Charles Lamb, who snatched the 17th century playwright William Shakespeare from his undeserved obscurity, returning him to the limelight of fame. Charles Lamb was once involved in a discussion on the question, who is the greatest literary genius of all time? Two names finally emerged: William Shakespeare and Jesus of Nazareth. Lamb put an end to the debate when he said: “I’ll tell you the difference between these two men. If Shakespeare walked into this room right now, we would all rise to greet him, but if Christ came in, we would all fall down and worship.” There is the essential difference between the Man from Nazareth and all other great people you can think of. Jesus Christ is God, and all others, no matter what their deeds, are but fools strutting on the stage for a brief time and then exiting. Today’s gospel describes who Jesus really is and the unique conditions for Christian discipleship.
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4. From Fr. Jude Botelho:
If your non Catholic friend /colleague asked you a blunt question: “Who or what does Jesus mean to you?”
What would your answer be? A prophet? An inspiring person? A miracle worker? A great personality? Is that
it? Or is Jesus more than that for you? It is easy to give book answers, or second-hand answers. Is my life in
any way dependant on Jesus or influenced by Jesus?? Have a quiet weekend reflecting on whether Jesus makes
any difference in my daily Life.
In today’s first reading the prophet Isaiah refers to the coming of the Messiah in tones of resignation as
the ‘Suffering Servant.’ The servant is all the people of God, personified in the one who exemplified
their best goals and traits – to overcome evil by good, violence by love, war by peace. In contrast to the
unfaithful and unhearing Israel, the servant declares that he is obedient and listens to the Lord. The
prophet Isaiah tells us how to recognize the Messiah. In spite of his sufferings, the Messiah, and the true
follower and believer, will be the one who will not turn back from his course. Instead, he will set his face
like flint and go on to achieve his purpose.
Response to Suffering
Until the age of twenty five, Eugene O’Neill was a failure. His life was without purpose, discipline or direction. Then one day he took seriously ill, and was taken to hospital. It was during his long stay in hospital that he got a chance to do something he had never done before. He got a chance to think about his life and where it was headed. It was also in the hospital that he discovered that he had a talent for writing plays. Eventually Eugene O’Neill recovered, took up a writing career, and went on to revolutionize American drama. It all happened because O’Neill reacted to sorrow and suffering in a constructive way. He responded to them in a life-giving way. Take also the case of Golda Meir. As a young person, Golda felt depressed because she was not beautiful. She wrote: “It was only much later that I realized that not being beautiful was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to develop inner resources. I came to understand that women who can’t lean on their beauty… have to work hard, and therefore have an advantage. In other words, Golda Meir accepted her cross. She didn’t cry out against it, she didn’t fret over it or resent it. She acknowledged it, picked it up and carried it courageously. Golda Meir went on to become the first woman prime minister of Israel.
Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’
In today’s gospel Jesus asks his disciples the perception of the crowd regarding himself: “Who do people say that I am?” There are various answers: ‘Prophet’, ‘Wonder-worker’, but
‘Messiah’ is not one of them. Now he turns to his disciples and asks: “And you, who do you say that I am?” A second-hand faith is a watered down faith. We cannot live only by what others say or believe. Peter’s answer on behalf of the disciples; “You are the Christ”, is pious, but incomplete. The Jews expected the Messiah to come in power, to free them from Roman dominion, but they did not expect the Messiah to suffer. Jesus therefore to dispel the false idea that they held on to, predicted that the Messiah would suffer and ultimately be put to death. Peter remonstrates with Jesus. “You must not talk about suffering. You cannot suffer. Don’t let people know that they have to suffer to follow you!” Jesus has to put Peter in his place and set the record straight. “Get behind me Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Who do you say that I am? Is not merely a question to establish the identity of Jesus but a rhetorical question mainly about us – his followers. “If we say that Jesus is “the Christ” then we must move aside from the throne of our own life and let him rule. In Mark we are confronted by both suffering and exaltation, defeat and victory, weakness and power, death and life in its fullness. Peter on the one hand refuses to accept the suffering, defeat and death; on the other, he readily expresses the desire to stay where the exaltation, victory and manifestation of full life are revealed." Where do we stand with regard to Christ?
Film: ‘The Giant of Thunder Mountain’
Eli Weaver, "the giant," lives like a hermit on Thunder Mountain, due to the hostility, gossip, and rejection of the local townspeople, who, without evidence, accuse him of murdering his parents. A young girl, Amy Wilson, seeks to turn the tables by befriending the giant, –learning that Eli was innocent of the tragic deaths of his parents. Eventually, she succeeds in winning his heart, and Eli agrees to visit the townspeople again, only to be rejected and cast out a second time. However, Amy and her brothers persist in keeping their friendship alive with the giant. Through a series of suspense-filled events, which are totally misunderstood by the townspeople, a lynch mob erroneously hunts down Eli. However, the truth is revealed in the nick of time, and Eli is instrumental in capturing the real criminals, associated with a travelling carnival. The townspeople, finally accepting the truth, regard Eli as a hero. Eli, in several respects, comes across as a Christ-figure in the movie: suffering many hardships from the rejection, scorn and derision of the townspeople, reminding me a little of William Butler Yeats’ "rough beast" exterior, contrasted with the biblical tender, gentle Jesus who loves and welcomes children.
Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson –From Internet Sources
The Cross at the Crossroads….
There were three young trees growing together in the forest. They were young healthy and ambitious. They compared their dreams. One wanted to be part of a structure of a castle or a palace, so that it could be a spectator in the lives of the high and mighty of society. The second wanted to end up as a mast of one of the tall ships, sailing around the world with a great sense of adventure. The third hoped to end up as part of some public monument, where the public would stop, admire and take photographs. Years passed by, and all three were cut down. The first was chopped up, and parts of it were put together to form a manger for a stable in Bethlehem. The second was cut down, and the trunk was scooped out to form a boat, which was launched on the Sea of Galilee. The third was cut into sections, two of which were put together, to form a cross on Calvary.
Each had a unique and special role to play in the one great story of redemption.
Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel Truth’
Film- Pay it Forwards
In the film, "Pay It Forward" Trevor, a seventh-grader, responds to the call of his Social Studies teacher to come up with a plan to change the world and act on it. Turning "pay backs" upside down, he devises, "pay it forward" wherein you seek to find three people who need some help in a "really big" way and requiring some kind of sacrifice one helps these three with the understanding that if they are helped they will pay it forward to three more people...and the plan works in wonderful ways, resulting in the death of the student who sacrifices his life for one of his people. His compassionate heart is memorialized at the end of the film as we see a long line of cars...people who have been touched by his sacrifice who never knew him, but have experienced his compassion in their lives through someone else.
Diane C. Jackson
Readiness to Face Death
When the Berkenhead sank, Alexander Russell, a young officer aged seventeen, was ordered to command one of the boats which carried women and children. As they were pushing off, a sailor who was drowning clasped the side of the boat, but there was no room for even one more. A woman on the boat cried: “Save him! He is my
husband.” Russell rose, jumped clear off the boat, and amidst a chorus of “God bless you!” he sank in the water, which was full of sharks and was seen no more, while the sailor was being pulled in to take his place.
Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’
Double Lives
G. K. Chesterton has a story about a popular philanthropist. The main reason for his popularity was his unfailing good humour. No one bothered to ask how he managed to be always happy. They assumed he was born an optimist. But then one day he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Foul play was immediately suspected. However, the case completely baffled the police. Eventually it was Chesterton’s unlikely detective, Fr. Browne, who solved the case. His verdict – the man committed suicide. At first the people refused to accept Fr. Browne’s verdict. They couldn’t imagine how such a happy man could commit suicide. But then it emerged that there was a serious side to the funny man. The man who made others laugh was in fact a deeply depressed man. But he could never tell anyone how he really felt. The man had two lives. One open, seen and known by all, the other secret, and known only to himself. In public he was the man who smiled at everyone.
But in private he was wounded and desperate. He felt he had to live up to people’s expectations in return for their attention and esteem. He was never able to be himself. Finally, he realized that his whole life was based on a lie. The strain of trying to maintain the public image became so great that he could no longer
cope with it. So he committed suicide.
Flor McCarthy in ‘Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
May we be followers of Jesus sharing the Cross and the Crown!
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4. From Fr. Jude Botelho:
If your non Catholic friend /colleague asked you a blunt question: “Who or what does Jesus mean to you?”
What would your answer be? A prophet? An inspiring person? A miracle worker? A great personality? Is that
it? Or is Jesus more than that for you? It is easy to give book answers, or second-hand answers. Is my life in
any way dependant on Jesus or influenced by Jesus?? Have a quiet weekend reflecting on whether Jesus makes
any difference in my daily Life.
In today’s first reading the prophet Isaiah refers to the coming of the Messiah in tones of resignation as
the ‘Suffering Servant.’ The servant is all the people of God, personified in the one who exemplified
their best goals and traits – to overcome evil by good, violence by love, war by peace. In contrast to the
unfaithful and unhearing Israel, the servant declares that he is obedient and listens to the Lord. The
prophet Isaiah tells us how to recognize the Messiah. In spite of his sufferings, the Messiah, and the true
follower and believer, will be the one who will not turn back from his course. Instead, he will set his face
like flint and go on to achieve his purpose.
Response to Suffering
Until the age of twenty five, Eugene O’Neill was a failure. His life was without purpose, discipline or direction. Then one day he took seriously ill, and was taken to hospital. It was during his long stay in hospital that he got a chance to do something he had never done before. He got a chance to think about his life and where it was headed. It was also in the hospital that he discovered that he had a talent for writing plays. Eventually Eugene O’Neill recovered, took up a writing career, and went on to revolutionize American drama. It all happened because O’Neill reacted to sorrow and suffering in a constructive way. He responded to them in a life-giving way. Take also the case of Golda Meir. As a young person, Golda felt depressed because she was not beautiful. She wrote: “It was only much later that I realized that not being beautiful was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to develop inner resources. I came to understand that women who can’t lean on their beauty… have to work hard, and therefore have an advantage. In other words, Golda Meir accepted her cross. She didn’t cry out against it, she didn’t fret over it or resent it. She acknowledged it, picked it up and carried it courageously. Golda Meir went on to become the first woman prime minister of Israel.
Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’
In today’s gospel Jesus asks his disciples the perception of the crowd regarding himself: “Who do people say that I am?” There are various answers: ‘Prophet’, ‘Wonder-worker’, but
‘Messiah’ is not one of them. Now he turns to his disciples and asks: “And you, who do you say that I am?” A second-hand faith is a watered down faith. We cannot live only by what others say or believe. Peter’s answer on behalf of the disciples; “You are the Christ”, is pious, but incomplete. The Jews expected the Messiah to come in power, to free them from Roman dominion, but they did not expect the Messiah to suffer. Jesus therefore to dispel the false idea that they held on to, predicted that the Messiah would suffer and ultimately be put to death. Peter remonstrates with Jesus. “You must not talk about suffering. You cannot suffer. Don’t let people know that they have to suffer to follow you!” Jesus has to put Peter in his place and set the record straight. “Get behind me Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Who do you say that I am? Is not merely a question to establish the identity of Jesus but a rhetorical question mainly about us – his followers. “If we say that Jesus is “the Christ” then we must move aside from the throne of our own life and let him rule. In Mark we are confronted by both suffering and exaltation, defeat and victory, weakness and power, death and life in its fullness. Peter on the one hand refuses to accept the suffering, defeat and death; on the other, he readily expresses the desire to stay where the exaltation, victory and manifestation of full life are revealed." Where do we stand with regard to Christ?
Film: ‘The Giant of Thunder Mountain’
Eli Weaver, "the giant," lives like a hermit on Thunder Mountain, due to the hostility, gossip, and rejection of the local townspeople, who, without evidence, accuse him of murdering his parents. A young girl, Amy Wilson, seeks to turn the tables by befriending the giant, –learning that Eli was innocent of the tragic deaths of his parents. Eventually, she succeeds in winning his heart, and Eli agrees to visit the townspeople again, only to be rejected and cast out a second time. However, Amy and her brothers persist in keeping their friendship alive with the giant. Through a series of suspense-filled events, which are totally misunderstood by the townspeople, a lynch mob erroneously hunts down Eli. However, the truth is revealed in the nick of time, and Eli is instrumental in capturing the real criminals, associated with a travelling carnival. The townspeople, finally accepting the truth, regard Eli as a hero. Eli, in several respects, comes across as a Christ-figure in the movie: suffering many hardships from the rejection, scorn and derision of the townspeople, reminding me a little of William Butler Yeats’ "rough beast" exterior, contrasted with the biblical tender, gentle Jesus who loves and welcomes children.
Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson –From Internet Sources
The Cross at the Crossroads….
There were three young trees growing together in the forest. They were young healthy and ambitious. They compared their dreams. One wanted to be part of a structure of a castle or a palace, so that it could be a spectator in the lives of the high and mighty of society. The second wanted to end up as a mast of one of the tall ships, sailing around the world with a great sense of adventure. The third hoped to end up as part of some public monument, where the public would stop, admire and take photographs. Years passed by, and all three were cut down. The first was chopped up, and parts of it were put together to form a manger for a stable in Bethlehem. The second was cut down, and the trunk was scooped out to form a boat, which was launched on the Sea of Galilee. The third was cut into sections, two of which were put together, to form a cross on Calvary.
Each had a unique and special role to play in the one great story of redemption.
Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel Truth’
Film- Pay it Forwards
In the film, "Pay It Forward" Trevor, a seventh-grader, responds to the call of his Social Studies teacher to come up with a plan to change the world and act on it. Turning "pay backs" upside down, he devises, "pay it forward" wherein you seek to find three people who need some help in a "really big" way and requiring some kind of sacrifice one helps these three with the understanding that if they are helped they will pay it forward to three more people...and the plan works in wonderful ways, resulting in the death of the student who sacrifices his life for one of his people. His compassionate heart is memorialized at the end of the film as we see a long line of cars...people who have been touched by his sacrifice who never knew him, but have experienced his compassion in their lives through someone else.
Diane C. Jackson
Readiness to Face Death
When the Berkenhead sank, Alexander Russell, a young officer aged seventeen, was ordered to command one of the boats which carried women and children. As they were pushing off, a sailor who was drowning clasped the side of the boat, but there was no room for even one more. A woman on the boat cried: “Save him! He is my
husband.” Russell rose, jumped clear off the boat, and amidst a chorus of “God bless you!” he sank in the water, which was full of sharks and was seen no more, while the sailor was being pulled in to take his place.
Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’
Double Lives
G. K. Chesterton has a story about a popular philanthropist. The main reason for his popularity was his unfailing good humour. No one bothered to ask how he managed to be always happy. They assumed he was born an optimist. But then one day he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Foul play was immediately suspected. However, the case completely baffled the police. Eventually it was Chesterton’s unlikely detective, Fr. Browne, who solved the case. His verdict – the man committed suicide. At first the people refused to accept Fr. Browne’s verdict. They couldn’t imagine how such a happy man could commit suicide. But then it emerged that there was a serious side to the funny man. The man who made others laugh was in fact a deeply depressed man. But he could never tell anyone how he really felt. The man had two lives. One open, seen and known by all, the other secret, and known only to himself. In public he was the man who smiled at everyone.
But in private he was wounded and desperate. He felt he had to live up to people’s expectations in return for their attention and esteem. He was never able to be himself. Finally, he realized that his whole life was based on a lie. The strain of trying to maintain the public image became so great that he could no longer
cope with it. So he committed suicide.
Flor McCarthy in ‘Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
May we be followers of Jesus sharing the Cross and the Crown!
