Homily Notes 21st Sunday of Ordinary Times
21st Sunday of Ordinary Time “How We Answer the Question”
Some people in our lives have a way of asking pointed questions. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone when they have asked an uncomfortable question?
Married couples probably are faced with this dilemma. Jeff Foxworthy has a comedy routine in which he shares the ten questions husbands should never answer. Number ten is, “Do you think I look like my mother?” Another question a wife might ask is, “How old do you think I look?” A question that may come up at dinner time is, “Whose cooking do you like better mine or my mother’s? On certain days a man may get this question, “Do you remember what today is? Foxworthy suggests having a tattoo on your arm with your anniversary date, your wife’s birthdate and Valentine’s day inscribed. When dressing a wife may ask, “Does this dress make we look thinner?” Finally, in a moment of self-reflection a woman may ask, “Is there anything about me that you would change?” Such are the questions that a husband should never answer. If you come back with pat answers it may seem insincere. If you come back with the truth it may be dangerous. Better not to answer according to Foxworthy.
The apostles are caught off guard today by two questions of Jesus. Perhaps these questions were prompted by where the disciples found themselves. Caesarea Philippi was a Greek colony in northern Galilee. Next to the city, was a shrine called the Panion, dedicated to the Greek God Pan, God of the wild, of fertility, and of reversal of ill fortune. Beside the shrine were springs of water that offered a place for travelers to bath. We can imagine Jesus sitting beside his disciples with his feet in the water after a long walk. As they are resting, they see the pilgrims at the shrine worshipping their God. In that context Jesus asks the first question?
Who do people say that I am? With that the apostles reply with answers they have heard. John the Baptist they say. Elijah perhaps. Maybe you are Jeremiah or another of the prophets. But those pat answers are not good enough.
He asks a follow up question, “But who do you say that I am?” Jesus did not want a pat answer. He wanted a sincere answer. We can imagine the embarrassed silence among the apostles. Peter speaks of course with his declaration of faith. “You are the Christ, Son of the living God.” Peter is saying, “I believe in you. I believe in what I see you are doing. I believe that you are God’s instrument.”
And what does Jesus say in return. “Act on your belief.” Jesus says you must do the things that you have seen me do. He gives to Peter the keys. We think of that in terms of Jesus giving Peter the ability to make moral pronouncements. Peter was giving power. But it was not the power to lay burdens on people. No, he did not want Peter to be like the Scribes and Pharisees. He had just been critical of their clericalism a few verses earlier. No, he gave Peter the keys to unlock the chains that bind people to their fear of God. He gave his apostles the ability to open the barriers that cause people to full of shame, a shame that causes them to want to have nothing to do with God.
The gospel today confronts us with the question. Who do you say that Jesus is? If our children were to ask what would we say. Maybe our children ask us why we practice our Catholic Faith. Why do we go to Mass for instance? “What do we say?” Do we give pat answers? Well, it is one of the 10 commandments. Or, it’s a rule of the church. Or, do we tell them who Jesus is to us? I worship Jesus because he forgave me. I love Jesus because he cured me. I treasure Jesus because he showed me the way in the darkest hour of my life. I want to be close to Jesus because he carries me forward when I have no strength.
Such are the answers Jesus wants to hear. And those are the answers that others need to hear. Today is the day to ponder the question Jesus proposes. “Who do you say that I am?”
Please note: rough draft, grammar may not be perfect