24th Sunday Ordinary Time
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: September 15, 2024
Think of someone that you love deeply. One person who you have really loved. How did you come to know that person. Conversations, speaking with and listening to them. Sharing thoughts and feelings. Often these conversations probably took place during shared meals. Then there were experiences you shared together in life, good and bad. We also learn about someone we love by what others say about them and by watching them in life.
Jesus confronts his disciples, “who do you say that I am?” Each of us who are called Christians, as disciples of Jesus we need to be ready to answer that question. If someone asked you, who is Jesus? How would you answer? We have official dogmas and teachings of the church. The Council of Chalcedon in the early centuries taught that Jesus is truly God and truly human. Jesus is truly human in all ways like us. God’s presence entering our human history and reality. So, we can say that Jesus is the face of God. As we come to know Jesus we are coming to know something of the mystery of God.
But the question of Jesus is very personal, “who do you say that I am?” It is not an abstract theological question. It is very personal. How would you answer that question? First of all, how do we come to know Jesus today?
- Read and pray with the Gospels. As we read the Gospels, we should feel that we are spending time with Jesus. We are with him, watching him, listening to him. Read the Gospels in this very personal way.
- Read the rest of the Bible, in particular, I want to highlight the Psalms. These Scriptures of the Old Testament were the Scriptures that Jesus prayed with and studied. Jesus probably knew all the Psalms by heart, they were his prayer book. So, when we pray with and study the Psalms we are learning about Jesus.
- Coming to this Mass is a way of getting to know Jesus. Here we are with him at a Sacred Meal. We share meals with loved ones in our life, here we share this meal, the Holy Eucharist with Jesus.
- We also learn about Jesus by reading the Saints. The Saints were friends of Jesus through the ages. When we listen to what they had to say about Jesus, we are learning more about Jesus.
- We find Jesus in the poor, the marginalized, those who are considered unimportant or even a nuisance. Jesus is found in the face, in the suffering of the poor. When we have contact with them we are in contact with Jesus. Do you think that you will find out more about Jesus with the rich, the famous, the powerful than with the poor, the ignored, the weak?
Who do you say that I am? It is the question that each of us Christians need to be ready to answer. Keep striving to know Jesus more deeply. Spend time with him in the Gospels, read the Scriptures that he read, especially the Psalms, share this Sacred Meal with Jesus in the Eucharist, read about Jesus in the Saints, see Jesus in the poor and marginalized.
“Who do you say that I am?” Each of us needs to keep coming to know Jesus more deeply.
