Sunday Scripture Sharing

 By Fr. Ron Luka                      Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ August 24

 65 Vondera,                             Isaiah 22:19-23; ; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20

 Robertsville, MO 63072 

FIRST NAME:_______. No, this isn't one of the repetitive forms that you get every time you walk into a doctor's office, even if you've been there the day before and even if they've had the information on their computers since you've been there as a baby for your vaccination shots.

          This is Jesus, not in Ceasarea Philippi among the beautiful forests and caves of northern Galilee, but standing in your living room looking you square in the eyes and asking you personally, "Who do you say that I am, Pat, Frank or Mike? Who am I to you, Emily, Ann or Catherine?" We could just rattle off the titles from the catechism, "You're the Son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the Eternal Word, the son of Mary, the greatest of the prophets." That's who Jesus is theologically. But that's not answering his question, "Who am I to you, personally, right here and now?'

          We may need to give some solid, prayerful reflection before we can answer that question. Hopefully our relationship with Jesus has or will come to a level when we can answer it in a couple words. First we might have to do what lovers who are at a distance from each other do— write a love letter to Jesus telling him all that he means to us. Here are some ideas that might help you get started:

Dear Jesus.

You are the center of my life, my personal friend and constant companion, my model as to how I can live my life to the fullest, closer to me than my own breath, the person I know who loves me infinitely and passionately and whom I try to love with all my heart.  You make God and God's love real to me. I thank you for your unconditional and forgiving love, even when, like Peter, my sinful actions denied that I even knew you. You lived and died to save me and all people and called me to follow you in love and service. From you I came, in you I live and to you I look forward to returning.  You..."

          Peter, through an interior illumination by God, is able to bypass this and get right to the core of his relationship with Jesus as the Christ [the anointed one, his Lord, Messiah and Savior] the Son of the living God."   Peter lived this relationship, even with all his faults and failings, including a threefold denial of this person he was following even on the day he was executed for his friend, bother and savior.

I find, that moved by the Spirit, just saying the name of Jesus throughout the day, expresses the core of my relationship with him.

          We might have to go beyond how others may be answering Jesus' question, just as we go beyond what other people, friends, neighbors, employers, fellow workers, other relatives have to say about the person we love the most.

          We won't be graded on our answer to this question. We won't get a gold, silver or blue star on our letter. But it will radically change our entire lives. Our answer will grow and develop as our relationship with Jesus deepens, until we can put it in one or two words that we can say throughout our day and utter with our last breath as we are perfectly and eternally joined to this Jesus around whom our whole life revolved.