Tim Greenway:Jesus4OurWorld: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Zechariah 12: 10-11; 13:1. Psalm 62: 2-6. 8-9 Rv. 2, Galatians 3:26-29,.

They will look on the one they have pierced.

O God, you are my God, for you I long.

All baptized in Christ, You have all clothed yourself in Christ.

But you, he said, who do you say I am.

In St. Peter's,The Vatican

Luke 9: 18-24 Now it happened that Jesus was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he put this question to them, 'Who do the crowds say I am?' ¹⁹ And they answered, 'Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others again one of the ancient prophets come back to life.' ²⁰ 'But you,' he said to them, 'who do you say I am?' It was Peter who spoke up. 'The Christ of God,' he said. ²¹ But he gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone. ²² He said, 'The Son of man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.' ²³ Then, speaking to all, he said, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. ²⁴ Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, will save it.

'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.

Do you stand with Peter?

Jesus is about to set out on his journey to Jerusalem. He knows what awaits him there. The writing is clearly written on the wall. If he continues to preach, to heal and liberate people from the clutches of Satan then the hostility of the chief priests and the Pharisees will destroy him. They will have him executed by the Romans and that means crucifixion. He is not going to stop and so his fate is sealed. It is a matter of months and he will be dead. Are the disciples ready to carry on his mission? Having listened to the popular understanding he asks them the crucial questions, “Who do you say I am?” He is not asking for a catechism answer. He is asking them “who am I for you?”

There was a time in some countries and still is in others that certain forms have a column, ‘your religion’. People would fill in, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, C of E, CSI etc. Religion is seen as belonging to an organization with codes and rules. People may feel their identity in this group and support the group and even fight for it. We have witnessed religious struggles and wars. This is not the kind of ‘religion’ Jesus is interested in. He asks you, not what your religious denomination is but ‘who am I for you’, ‘who do you say I am?’ He wants your answer. He knows the catechism answer. Who is Jesus for you? Whether the words are the same or not, your answer will necessarily be different from mine. If you can say, “Jesus you are everything for me. I want to know you more and more and whatever happens I will be your disciple,” then you are in the company of Peter.

Jesus will teach you what it means to be a disciple. Jesus knew what was coming to him in Jerusalem. He went on because he trusted that his Father would vindicate him. ‘God will definitely raise me’. We can only follow Jesus if we have the same kind of confidence that he had in his Father.

Like Jesus we must go forward openly and courageously living the Christian life in the face of a sceptical and hostile world. There will be much subtle opposition and hidden persecution. We must be ‘Jesus’ people’; we belong to him and live by his values. We trust that ‘on the third day’ he will vindicate us too.

Do you know Jesus through the Gospels and daily prayer? Do you bravely ignore the sneers and persecution of the world for your belief in Jesus? Do you contribute to strengthening your community of believers?

Father, give the love for Jesus that makes us strong in our witness to him

St. Peter's Basilica Vatican