WHO IS JESUS TO ME?
Blessed Sunday, everyone. As we in the Archdiocese of Singapore bask in the love, joy & hope of Pope Francis’ recent visit & Papal Mass, the scriptures again remind us to turn our attention to Jesus Christ, the Son of God & the Son of Man.
The 1st Reading from Isaiah 50:5-9 is part of the 3rd Song of the Suffering Servant of God, that we read every year during Holy Week – the 1st Song from Isaiah 42, the 2nd from Isaiah 49 & the 4th & last one from Isaiah 52-53. These prophecies point us to Jesus, the Messiah who was meek, gentle & humble, who atoned for the sins of the world by sacrificing his life for the people.
In today’s Gospel from Mark 8:27-35, Jesus began to speak of his pending suffering, rejection & death, & resurrection to his apostles, thus showing his fulfillment of the prophecies of the Suffering Servant. In fact, this is just the 1st of the 3 times that Jesus foretells his death & resurrection – the next 2 being found in Mark 9:32-24 (after His Transfiguration) & in Mark 10:30-32. And He invited all those who would be His followers to renounce themselves, take up their cross & follow Him. The promise is that for those who lose their lives for Him & for the sake of the Gospel would save it.
Our Response in the Psalm (Ps 116:9) is the affirmation of faith from us who truly desire to follow Jesus: “I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.” Indeed, the promise is that the Lord saves the simple hearts, keeps their souls from death, their eyes from tears & their feet from stumbling (cf Psalm 116:6,8-9).
For us to reach this level of faith & conviction, we must be crystal-clear about who Jesus is. Just as the Lord posed this question to His apostles in today’s Gospel, so today, He gazes at us & asks: “Who do you say I am?”
So, who is Jesus to you? Is He the Christ, the Messiah who loves you & gave His life on the cross to save you (cf Galatians 2:20)? Is He your personal Lord, Master & Saviour? Is He the One you trust with all your heart, knowing that in the face of challenges & sufferings that He will always be there to help & save you? Or is He only your one-hour-a-week part time acquaintance on Sunday? Or worse, is He merely your cosmic ‘vending machine / ATM that you go to continuously, to satisfy your every whim, fancy & need?
If indeed you profess Jesus Christ as your Lord, then what must you do to mean what you say & not merely pay lip service. Do you think that you would then have you have to surrender EVERYTHING to Him, renounce yourself, your preferences, decisions & lifestyle choices & make Jesus your No 1 Priority in life? What about following in his footsteps by carrying your cross daily? That would mean having to suffer being rejected, misunderstood, discriminated against, spoken ill of, persecuted, & perhaps even threatened & harmed!
Sounds very challenging, right? But, the path to victory & life eternal is through the narrow gate. Don’t be like the majority of people who ‘want to go to heaven but don’t want to die’ – that is, Interested but Not Committed! Step up! Act in faith & always trust In the Lord! And let’s find assurance & hope through these words of St Paul: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35,37).
So, one parting shot: Let us listen with new spiritual ears & see with new spiritual eyes the truth – that Jesus Christ is Our Lord; that He died to save us; that His blood washes us clean from sin; that His Holy Spirit enables us to call Him Lord & to turn to God as ‘Abba, Father’. Let us repent of our nonchalant & callous attitude towards Jesus. May the Holy Spirit move our hearts to declare with sincerity & faith like St Peter “You are the Christ!” & live our lives authentically by following Jesus closely. Amen! Alleluia!
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead