FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
FRIDAY TWENTY FIFTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
ST VINCENT DE PAUL, P. (MEMORIAL)
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Luke 9: 18-22
DEEPING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS AND COMMITMENT TO THE FAITH
Growth in the spiritual and Christian life comes about not just by hearsay knowledge of God but by direct and convinced experience of Christ himself. Even at that, a convinced and personal experience that is integral, wholistic and all encompassing knowledge is key to this Christian life and spiritual growth. This is growth in the spiritual and Christian life which every Christian must aspire and strive to attain in life.
Jesus makes this necessary demand from his disciples from the Gospel passage of today. He requests to know what peoples opinions are of him. After some answers from his disciples, Jesus went further to request from his own very disciples their own personal opinion of himself. And here Peter made a great revelation of their thinking from their personal encounter with Jesus.
While other people take Jesus to be in the grade of one of the prophets, like Jeremiah, others think him to be like John the baptist. But Peter went above these ideas of Jesus, by stating, when asked, that Jesus is, “The Christ of God.” This arises from a greater, deeper and closer knowledge of Jesus as Jesus himself acknowledged and accepted this declaration by Peter.
First, Peter’s answer was true, authentic and right but was only an experience garnered from his encounter with Jesus. Peter has grown beyond the general ideas that people had. Peter represents the other disciples too who have grown because of their close relationship with Jesus. By their association and encounter with Jesus, they have come to know him better and deeper than others.
The Christ of God as a title to describe Jesus goes from mere being a prophet, that is a mouthpiece, a representative, a spokeman of God to being in Peter’s declaration, a God sent, a redeemer, a saviour, the expected messiah, the awaited one, the fulfilment of the messianic time, the fulfilment of the promise of the Father.
By this answer, Peter and the other disciples have a greater Knowledge and idea of who Jesus was. But even at that, Jesus went ahead to deepen this knowledge by declaring to them the way his messianic mission was going to be accomplished. In order words, Jesus revealed to his disciples a greater knowledge of the ways in which his messianic mission is going to be accomplished. He affirms to them that, as the expected messiah of which he is, the way of accomplishing this messianic mission is by being crucified, and suffering humiliation and dying on the cross like a criminal. This greater revelation made by Jesus to his disciple may actually be beyond their imagination.
He was only preparing them for the future. At present, they were still in the half baked knowledge of the good side of the messiah, the healings performed by the messiah, the fame, the demonstration of powers as God, with the driving of evil spirits and demons who bow before him. All these are for the time being. But a time will come also when the messiah will now go to make the ultimate sacrifice that will establish him as the saviour of the World.
This progressive revealing of the mission, life and understanding of Christ happens with time. As the book of Sirach, our first reading tells us, “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;…. He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind.”
In deepening our faith, knowledge and idea of God, we must never weaver to follow the order and timing of our God. We must know that knowledge is not static. It is dynamic. Our idea of God today cannot be the same as tomorrow. Therefore, we must always seek to know Jesus the more, to grow in our encounter with him, to understand deeper his ways, imbibe greater his spirit and never allow time to passby without gaining from it.
Our gains through time is to grow deeper in our knowledge and awareness of our God. And it also means growing in virtue, in prayer life, in our task as Christian especially in our relationship with other, in our acceptance of the faith, in our giving up on the things of this world.
What we were yesterday, and what we knew yesterday, we cannot continue to be or hold in times to come. Growth demands a gradual, steady and greater knowledge, understanding and deeper commitment and conviction in the life and faith. That is our task and it is expected of us by Jesus himself. Grow is expected and try never to be dwarfed.
King of Glory, Lord God, our lifes are never static, but they must grow in knowledge, in faith, and in virtue. Grant us this growth, deeper understanding of you, closer union with you, and greater appreciation of you. May grace also multiply in us bringing us greater favours, deeper commitment and fulfilment in life and in the faith through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
