HOMILY OF THURSDAY OF THE 6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Genesis 9:1-13, Mark 8:27-33
THEME: PEOPLE’S OPINION ABOUT US.
“Who do people say I am?”
QUOTES: People’s opinions about us differ. Above all, we are who we know we are, and not necessarily what they say we are.
One of the greatest pain in life is the realisation that one’s efforts in whatever guise are undervalued and unappreciated. Misconception or misrepresentation can render work worthless. But on the flip side we become elated getting to know there are still people who understand what we do and appreciate us. Everyone needs assurance. Jesus was not an exception. He longed to figure out the people’s opinion about him. And so he asked the disciples, “Who do people say I am?”
And they told him. “John the Baptist,” they said, “Others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.”
His disciples gave him a description of the public’s opinions about him. But he asked them,
“But you,” he asked, “Who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, “You are the Christ.”
Peter captured his real identity. Though it requires more than a personal experience to ascertain the true identity of a person, firsthand information is a vital tool for authentic representation.
People often define us by the standards of their individualised expectations. Had Jesus given all of them the chance to describe him, He would have heard personalised and different expression of who He was, quite contrary from Peter’s view. This distinctly captures the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” We see things quite differently.
However, amidst the various opinions people have about us, we remain who we are regardless, unless we are plagued by multiple or complex personality disorder. People’s real identity remains intact although it may be locked down deep within personal struggles.
Who is Jesus to us? The answer lies beneath the evidence of our daily walk with him. Lack of a personal experience with Jesus leaves us on the pedestal of hearsays about him. Peter said,
“You are the Christ.”
That means the anointed one of God. He is the saviour. He is the Lord. And this assertion becomes valid in our lives when we give him the chance to reveal his identity to us without harbouring personal ambiguous opinions. Our unique identity is predicated on our knowledge of Jesus because we are meant to conform to his image. We discover ourselves the day we find him.
May the Lord open our hearts so we may know him truly and fathom his eternal design for us.
JESUS FOR ME, By William J. Kirkpatrick
1. Jesus, my Saviour, is all things to me;
Oh, what a wonderful Saviour is He!
Guiding, protecting, o’er life’s troubled sea,
Mighty Deliv’rer—Jesus for me!
Refrain:
Jesus for me!
Jesus for me!
All the time, everywhere,
Jesus for me!
2. Jesus in sickness, and Jesus in health;
Jesus in poverty, comfort, or wealth;
Sunshine or tempest, whatever it be,
He is my Safety—Jesus for me! [Refrain]
3. He is my Refuge, my Rock, and my Tower—
He is my Fortress, my Strength, and my Power;
Life everlasting, my Day’s man is He,
Blessed Redeemer—Jesus for me! [Refrain]
4. He is my Prophet, my Priest, and my King;
He is my Bread of Life, Fountain, and Spring;
Bright Sun of Righteousness, Day-Star is He;
Horn of Salvation—Jesus for me! [Refrain]
5. Jesus in sorrow, in joy, or in pain;
Jesus my Treasure, in loss or in gain;
Constant Companion where’er I may be;
Living or dying—Jesus for me! [Refrain]
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