Daily Retreat 08/24/08
2008 Aug 24 SUN: TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 22: 19-23/ Ps 137(138): 1-2. 2-3. 6. 8 (8bc)/ Rom 11: 33-36/ Mt 16: 13-20
From today’s readings: “When he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open.... Lord, Your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of Your hands..... Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!... Who do you say that I am?”
The Ultimate Question
Perhaps you've heard of the TV gameshow called “Do you want to be a millionaire?” Some of us who don’t mind showing our age might be more familiar with an earlier version of the show from a few decades ago known as "The $64,000 Question!" The gameplan is really quite simple: Contestants are given a series of quizzes, each one worth twice as much as the previous one. If he's lucky and smart, a contestant could progress to the exhilarating point of being asked one single question with a reward of $1,000,000 for the right answer. And what a difference that would make!
Today, the Gospel presents us with our own version of the $1,000,000 question. Because of limited sponsoring for this virtual reflection, we don't have enough time to go through all the preliminaries, so we'll go straight to the semi-final round, and consider the two crucial questions in the game of life, which depending on how you answer them, will make all the difference.
Here's the first question (and remember, this one must be answered correctly before you can go on to the final jackpot question): "Who do you say St. Peter is?" Think about it for a moment. It's an important question. Crowds and crowds of young people flocked last month to Australia for World Youth Day, and why? Because Peter is there, his successor Pope Benedict XVI. Who do you say this man is? Is he just some 81 year old grandpa figure who really has no concrete place in our daily lives? Do we think that St. Peter and his successors are mere symbols, or remnants from another age, or even, as some have ventured, that the Pope is the Anti-Christ? Or do we recognize St. Peter and his successors as someone the Lord Jesus has entrusted with a Divine Mission, and the authority to carry out that mission? I'll give you a hint: you'll find that Jesus Himself offered an answer to this question!
Now, if you've got the answer to that question, we're ready to move on to the biggie: it's more than a $64,000 question, it's more than a $1 million question, it is, in fact, no less than the "Meaning of Life" question! How we answer this ultimate question directly determines the most important things in our lives. Here it is folks, the final question: Our Lord asks us, "And you...who do you say I am?" We answer this question with our whole lives, not just with a quick 10 word phrase.
Perhaps we say that this Jesus is the same as John the Baptist - in other words, he's some holy man from the past, who's now dead and gone. He had some good humanistic teaching and philosophy, but that's about it. If that's how we see Jesus, we probably don't spend too much time reflecting on His words and deeds. We probably don't talk about Him too much, or even think about Him in our daily lives. This is the answer that many people have given: that Jesus is merely some holy man from a different age. At best, we might say that's a good first guess, but it's certainly the wrong answer.
Or perhaps we say that this Jesus is the same as Elijah - that is, truly the model prophet, with a message that holds true for all time. If that's how we see Jesus, we probably spend a little bit of time listening to or reading scripture now and then, we might think about His teachings occasionally, and try in general to live according to them. Many people have given this same answer: that Jesus is the greatest of all prophets, with a important message for all mankind. Another good guess, but still another woefully incomplete answer.
Then again, perhaps we say that this Jesus is the same as Jeremiah or some other prophet - that is, someone whom we haven't completely decided about yet, we want to leave the question open-ended. If that's how we see Jesus, then it probably seems that sometimes He plays a big role in my life, sometimes a not so big role. Sometimes He seems to have something worth listening to and thinking about, other times He doesn't. I would say that this is the answer most people live: that Jesus is someone important in my life, but how important, I can't say for sure yet - I need more time before I can give my final answer. And thank goodness, God does give us time to think about our answer. But we can't stall forever.
"And you, who do you say I am?" It's the most crucial question of our lives. With prayer and perseverance, and by following Peter's example, we too can come to the point of answering Jesus, "You are the Christ, God's Anointed One, the Son of the Living God." If this is our answer, what a difference it makes! If Jesus is God's Anointed One of all ages, then He is our King, our Priest, and our Prophet. If Jesus is the Son of the Living God, then He's not dead, He's not stuck in the past, then He's here with us today, and every moment of our lives.
What a reward Peter got for coming up with the right answer. "Blessed are you, Simon, son of John!" And we are no less blessed if we also demonstrate the right answer with our lives.
"And you," Jesus asks each of us, His disciples today, "Who do you say I am?"
Is 22: 19-23/ Ps 137(138): 1-2. 2-3. 6. 8 (8bc)/ Rom 11: 33-36/ Mt 16: 13-20
From today’s readings: “When he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open.... Lord, Your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of Your hands..... Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!... Who do you say that I am?”
The Ultimate Question
Perhaps you've heard of the TV gameshow called “Do you want to be a millionaire?” Some of us who don’t mind showing our age might be more familiar with an earlier version of the show from a few decades ago known as "The $64,000 Question!" The gameplan is really quite simple: Contestants are given a series of quizzes, each one worth twice as much as the previous one. If he's lucky and smart, a contestant could progress to the exhilarating point of being asked one single question with a reward of $1,000,000 for the right answer. And what a difference that would make!
Today, the Gospel presents us with our own version of the $1,000,000 question. Because of limited sponsoring for this virtual reflection, we don't have enough time to go through all the preliminaries, so we'll go straight to the semi-final round, and consider the two crucial questions in the game of life, which depending on how you answer them, will make all the difference.
Here's the first question (and remember, this one must be answered correctly before you can go on to the final jackpot question): "Who do you say St. Peter is?" Think about it for a moment. It's an important question. Crowds and crowds of young people flocked last month to Australia for World Youth Day, and why? Because Peter is there, his successor Pope Benedict XVI. Who do you say this man is? Is he just some 81 year old grandpa figure who really has no concrete place in our daily lives? Do we think that St. Peter and his successors are mere symbols, or remnants from another age, or even, as some have ventured, that the Pope is the Anti-Christ? Or do we recognize St. Peter and his successors as someone the Lord Jesus has entrusted with a Divine Mission, and the authority to carry out that mission? I'll give you a hint: you'll find that Jesus Himself offered an answer to this question!
Now, if you've got the answer to that question, we're ready to move on to the biggie: it's more than a $64,000 question, it's more than a $1 million question, it is, in fact, no less than the "Meaning of Life" question! How we answer this ultimate question directly determines the most important things in our lives. Here it is folks, the final question: Our Lord asks us, "And you...who do you say I am?" We answer this question with our whole lives, not just with a quick 10 word phrase.
Perhaps we say that this Jesus is the same as John the Baptist - in other words, he's some holy man from the past, who's now dead and gone. He had some good humanistic teaching and philosophy, but that's about it. If that's how we see Jesus, we probably don't spend too much time reflecting on His words and deeds. We probably don't talk about Him too much, or even think about Him in our daily lives. This is the answer that many people have given: that Jesus is merely some holy man from a different age. At best, we might say that's a good first guess, but it's certainly the wrong answer.
Or perhaps we say that this Jesus is the same as Elijah - that is, truly the model prophet, with a message that holds true for all time. If that's how we see Jesus, we probably spend a little bit of time listening to or reading scripture now and then, we might think about His teachings occasionally, and try in general to live according to them. Many people have given this same answer: that Jesus is the greatest of all prophets, with a important message for all mankind. Another good guess, but still another woefully incomplete answer.
Then again, perhaps we say that this Jesus is the same as Jeremiah or some other prophet - that is, someone whom we haven't completely decided about yet, we want to leave the question open-ended. If that's how we see Jesus, then it probably seems that sometimes He plays a big role in my life, sometimes a not so big role. Sometimes He seems to have something worth listening to and thinking about, other times He doesn't. I would say that this is the answer most people live: that Jesus is someone important in my life, but how important, I can't say for sure yet - I need more time before I can give my final answer. And thank goodness, God does give us time to think about our answer. But we can't stall forever.
"And you, who do you say I am?" It's the most crucial question of our lives. With prayer and perseverance, and by following Peter's example, we too can come to the point of answering Jesus, "You are the Christ, God's Anointed One, the Son of the Living God." If this is our answer, what a difference it makes! If Jesus is God's Anointed One of all ages, then He is our King, our Priest, and our Prophet. If Jesus is the Son of the Living God, then He's not dead, He's not stuck in the past, then He's here with us today, and every moment of our lives.
What a reward Peter got for coming up with the right answer. "Blessed are you, Simon, son of John!" And we are no less blessed if we also demonstrate the right answer with our lives.
"And you," Jesus asks each of us, His disciples today, "Who do you say I am?"
posted by FrPitstick | 8/20/2008
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