HOMILY FOR 21st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME--A


THIS GOSPEL IS IMPORTANT FOR SEVERAL REASONS.  FIRST, WE HEAR JESUS SET THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR CHURCH AND THAT FOUNDATION IS PETER.  SECOND, THIS GOSPEL, WITH ITS AUTHORITY GIVEN TO PETER TO “BIND AND LOOSE”, IS ONE OF THE SCRIPTURAL BASES FOR THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION.  SO IT’S AN IMPORTANT GOSPEL, BUT IT’S ALSO A CHALLENGING ONE.


FIRST CHALLENGE: JUST WHO DO WE THINK JESUS IS?  JESUS ASKS THE DISCIPLES WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT HIM.  HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN WONDERING IF HIS MESSAGE WAS GETTING THROUGH.  WELL, IT SEEMS JUST SOMEWHAT AND NOT FULLY.  PEOPLE SAID JEREMIAH, JOHN THE BAPTIST, ELIJAH OR SOME ANOTHER PROPHET.  IMPORTANT PEOPLE ALL, BUT NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER.  JESUS THEN PUTS THE ALL-IMPORTANT QUESTION TO THE DISCIPLES.  NOT WHO DO OTHERS THINK I AM, BUT WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?  PETER GETS IT RIGHT: THE CHRIST, SON OF THE LIVING GOD.  THE CHALLENGE IS WOULD WE GET IT RIGHT?


I ASKED THAT OF MYSELF.  DO I THINK OF JESUS AS A PLEASANT MAN WHO’S TEACHINGS SEEM NICE OR DO I THINK OF JESUS AS THE CHRIST, SON OF THE LIVING GOD?  UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES FAMILIARITY SEEMS TO SOFTEN OUR, OR AT LEAST MY, RESPONSE TO THAT QUESTION.  WE CAN GET SO USED TO JESUS THAT WE CAN SOMETIMES FORGET EXACTLY WHO HE IS AND START TREATING HIM AS LESS THAN HE IS.  I NEED TO ASK MYSELF IF I’M RESPONDING TO JESUS AS JUST A NICE GUY OR AS GOD.  HE’S GOD AND I HAD BETTER ACT LIKE THAT.  WHAT HE SAYS, GOES.  FAMILIARITY, IT SEEMS, CAN BREED PROBLEMS FOR MY SOUL.


THE SECOND CHALLENGE IS TO REALIZE THAT ONCE I HAVE IT STRAIGHT WHO JESUS IS, I MUST CELEBRATE THAT KNOWLEDGE WITH ALL OF YOU.  MY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS JUST HAS TO BE THERE BUT THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP IS NOT FULFILLED WITHOUT OTHERS.  JESUS DID NOT TELL PETER “WELL IT’S GREAT THAT YOU KNOW WHO I AM.  WHY DON’T YOU GO OFF INTO THE DESERT AND WORSHIP ME.”  JESUS TOLD PETER RATHER, “YOU GOT IT RIGHT AND ARE BLESSED.  SO I’M GOING TO USE YOU FOUND A CHURCH TO BRING OTHERS TO ME.”  


IN SHORT, JESUS FOUNDED A CHURCH THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE AND NOT JUST ME.  HE WANTS ME TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM BUT A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ONE.  I NEED TO HAVE ONE DIRECTLY WITH JESUS, YOU MIGHT SAY A VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ME DOWN HERE AND JESUS UP THERE WITH ME KNOWING MY PLACE IS DOWN AND JESUS’ IS UP.


BUT I ALSO NEED TO HAVE A HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IN THE FORM OF THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS, HIS BODY ON EARTH. THE HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST ACTUALLY CAN STRENGTHEN THE VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP THAT I HAVE WITH HIM.  MANY PEOPLE IN THIS PARISH HAVE CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH THEIR CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE, THEIR SPIRITUALITY, THEIR CHARITY, AND THEIR SELF-SACRIFICE FOR THE LORD AND OTHERS.  THAT STRENGTHENED VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP THEN ENERGIZES ME TO BECOME EVEN MORE INVOLVED WITH THE NEEDS OF CHRIST’S CHURCH ON EARTH.


WHEN YOU THINK OF IT, IT’S PRETTY EVIDENT THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS DEMANDS A RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER PEOPLE.  YOU CAN’T BE VIRTUOUS WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE TO BE VIRTUOUS TOWARDS.  YOU CAN’T PRACTICE CHARITY, AS A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS DEMANDS, WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE TO BE CHARITABLE TO.  THAT’S REALLY NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.  EVEN THE PAGAN GREEK PHILOSOPHER ARISTOTLE NOTED THE TRUTH THAT YOU CAN’T BE JUST WITHOUT SOMEONE TO BE JUST TOWARDS.


THERE’S A THIRD CHALLENGE IN TODAY’S GOSPEL THAT REALLY WENT OVER MY HEAD UNTIL I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH TO PREPARE THIS HOMILY.  THE GOSPEL STATES THAT JESUS ASKED THE QUESTION OF HIS IDENTITY AND FOUNDED HIS CHURCH IN A CITY CALLED CAESAREA PHILIPPI.  THE CITY, BY THE WAY, WAS BUILT BY HEROD THE GREAT TO HONOR THE ROMAN EMPEROR, CAESAR AUGUSTUS, WHO HAD GIVEN HEROD YET ANOTHER COUNTRY TO RULE.  HIS SON PHILLIP REMODELED IT SO IT WAS CALLED AFTER HIM TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM SOME OTHER CITIES ALSO CALLED CAESAREA.


WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE AREA OF CAESAREA PHILIPPI HAS A HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS.  THERE WERE NO LESS THAN 14 TEMPLES TO THE CANAANITE GOD BAAL AROUND IT.  A NEARBY CAVE WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE GREEK GOD PAN, THE MYTHOLOGICAL GOD OF NATURE.  THAT SAME CAVE WAS IMPORTANT TO THE JEWS SINCE IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE RIVER JORDAN WHICH PLAYED SUCH A GREAT ROLL IN JEWISH HISTORY.  AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST HEROD THE GREAT BUILT THE CITY TO HOUSE A TEMPLE TO THE ROMAN EMPERORS WHO WERE THOUGHT TO BE GODS.


WELL, JESUS TAKES HIS MINISTRY RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF ALL THOSE COMPETING RELIGIONS, A PLACE THE CANAANITES, GREEKS, JEWS AND ROMANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THEIR RELIGIONS.   NONE OF THEM WOULD BE VERY WELCOMING TO A CARPENTER FROM NAZARETH.  BUT THERE WAS NOTHING WISHY-WASHY ABOUT JESUS.  HE MAKES IT A POINT TO CHALLENGE THEM BY CREATING HIS CHURCH RIGHT IN THEIR MIDST.


THE QUESTION FOR US IS DO WE TAKE OUR CHRISTIANITY INTO THE FACE OF A SECULAR WORLD THAT IS SUFFERING FROM WHAT ONE AUTHOR CALLS ‘CULTURAL POLLUTION’.  DO WE CONFRONT THOSE SECULAR, ALMOST PAGAN, VALUES WITH THE VALUES OF OUR FAITH?  DO WE FOLLOW IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS OR THOSE OF SOME HUMAN STYLE-SETTER?


SO WHAT DO WE HAVE?  #1—DO WE REALLY ACT LIKE JESUS IS GOD?  #2—DO WE RELATE TO JESUS IN BOTH THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONS?  #3—DO WE PUT OUR CHRISTIANITY INTO PRACTICE IN THE WORLD?  A CHALLENGING GOSPEL!