1

Synopsis: OT XII ( June 19) Sunday Homily on Luke 9: 18-24 (L-16) Introduction: Today’s Gospel explains the basis of our Faith as the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior. It also tells us that Christ Jesus became our Savior by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Finally, it outlines the three requirements of Christian discipleship, namely, denying oneself, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus.

Scripture lessons: Jesus saw aspects of his own life and mission foreshadowed in Zechariah’s prophecy given in the first reading and in Isaiah’s Servant Songs. Zechariah’s pierced one in the first reading, in the light of today’s Gospel, invites us to identify ourselves with our suffering Savior, Jesus during the moments of our pains and suffering. In the second reading, Paul teaches us that through faith in Jesus we become the children of God. Hence, we have to live in accordance with Jesus' teachings, tearing down barriers of gender, race and class. Paul advises us to “put on Christ," which means that we should allow Christ to begin to work in us as our Messiah, our personal Lord and Savior, healing us of our hatred, prejudice, selfishness and whatever else blocks “God’s reign” within and among us. Today’s Gospel consists of two sections: 1) the Messianic confession of Peter, acknowledging Jesus as “Christ (Messiah) the Son of the living God,” and 2) Jesus’ prediction of his Passion, death and Resurrection, followed by his clear teaching on the three requirements of Christian discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”

Life Messages: 1) Jesus must enter in to our living experience, loving us, forgiving us, helping us and transforming our lives and outlook. The knowledge of Jesus as Lord and personal Savior should become a living, personal experience for each Christian. This takes place when we listen to him through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, talk to him through daily, personal and family prayers, offer him our lives on the altar in the Holy Mass, are reconciled with him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and recognize and respond to Him in our brothers and sisters. In the Eucharistic celebration today, we are celebrating and experiencing in our lives the death and Resurrection of Jesus -- the Christ, the Messiah, our Lord and our personal Savior.

2) We need to surrender our life to Jesus whom we experience as our Lord and Savior: Next, we surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering humble and loving service to others, with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person. Finally, we begin to praise and thank God in all the events of our lives, both good and bad, realizing that God’s loving hand is behind every event of our lives.

3) We need to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus. Self-denial requires that we evict selfish thoughts and evil desires and tendencies

2

from our hearts, enthrone God in our hearts and share Him with others. We carry our crosses the Christian way when we accept them from God gracefully and share our health, wealth, time and talents with others even when it costs us a struggle.

OT XII [C] Zec 12:10-11, 13: 1; Gal 3:26-29; Lk 9:18-24 (L-16)

Anecdotes: #1: “Who is Jesus?” In his teens, C.S. Lewis was a professed agnostic. He was influenced in his conversion to Christianity by G.K. Chesterton’s book, The Everlasting Man, and by two of his Christian friends. After his conversion, he wrote a number of books defending Christianity. During the Second World War in his famous BBC radio talk, Mere Christianity, he said, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.” If we accept Jesus as a moral teacher, then we must necessarily accept Him as God, for great moral teachers do not tell lies. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies)

# 2: “Who do you say that I am?” On Sunday morning a man showed up at Church with both of his ears terribly blistered. So his pastor asked, "What happened to you Jim?" Jim said: "I was lying on the couch watching a ball game on TV while my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she went out, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang, and keeping my eyes on the TV, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear." "How dreadful," gasped the pastor. "But how did the other ear get burned?" "Well, you see, I'd no sooner hung up, the guy called back!" He just didn't get it. Lots of folks never get it and never understand how life really works, even at the simplest levels. That's why Jesus is pressing his followers — and us with a challenging question in today’s Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” (Msgr. Dennis Clarke)

# 3: “Suppose Jesus were to come here ." Without the 19th century essayist Charles Lamb, William Shakespeare would be “missing in action.” Mr. Lamb's essays snatched the 17th century playwright from undeserved obscurity after he had been famous for Andy Warhol's fifteen minutes. One night, Lamb and his guests were chatting about the Bard over Spanish port and Cuban cigars. "Supposing," one asked Lamb, "Shakespeare were to stroll into our dining room at this moment." The essayist replied, "We would raise a glass of port to the great man." "Supposing," asked another, "Jesus were to come here." Lamb answered, "We would all get down on our knees.” There is

3

the essential difference between the Man from Nazareth and all other great people you can think of. The Christ is God, and all others, no matter what their deeds, are but fools who strut on the stage for a brief time and then exit. (Fr. Gilhooly).

Introduction: Today’s Gospel explains the basis of our Faith as the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and our Savior. It also tells us that Christ Jesus became our Savior by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Finally, it outlines the three requirements for Christian discipleship, namely, denying oneself, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus. The first reading gives us Zechariah’s prophecy about the suffering and death of the Messiah: "They will look on Him whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born." The challenge given by Paul in today’s second reading is to live in accordance with Jesus' teachings, tearing down unjust barriers of gender, race and class and making social justice a part of the Church’s vision. In defending his teaching that Christ alone is the source of salvation, Paul appeals to several images in this reading. As clothing both envelops the whole body and expresses our identity to others, so Christ embraces our total reality, and renders differences among us insignificant. "Putting on Christ" means allowing him to begin to work in us as our Messiah, our personal Lord and Savior.   This deep and vitalizing work of grace heals us of our hatred, prejudice, selfishness and whatever else blocks “God’s reign” within and among us.

The first reading: Zechariah’s prophecy refers to an obscure historical event which occurred several centuries before Christ. It was not originally a direct prediction of Jesus’ Passion. But the passage gives insight into the meaning of redemptive suffering and its essential role in God’s salvific plan. The evangelist John considered the passage, "They will look on Him whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him…."as fulfilled in the suffering and death of the Messiah. However, Zechariah’s description of the pierced one could have been applied to any one of several people who were martyred and mourned. Reginald Fuller in Preaching the New Lectionary suggests that Christians, who associate Zechariah’s figure with Jesus and his redemptive death for sinners, might understand the mourning described here as the remorse which will, at the last judgment, overtake all those who have rejected Christ on earth. Zechariah’s pierced one, in the light of today’s Gospel, invites us to identify ourselves with our suffering Savior, Jesus during the moments of our pain and suffering.

The second reading: Writing to the Galatians, St. Paul teaches them and us that through Faith in Jesus we become the children of God. Hence, we have to live in accord with Jesus' teachings, tearing down unjust barriers of gender, race and class and making social justice a part of the Church’s

4

vision. As clothing covers parts of the body and expresses our identity to others, so Christ covers us and renders differences among us insignificant. "Putting on Christ" means allowing him to begin to work in us as our Messiah, personal Lord and Savior.   This deep and vitalizing work of grace heals us of our hatred, prejudice, selfishness and whatever else blocks “God’s reign” within and among us.

Exegesis: T wo pertinent questions: In Luke’s Gospel, it was immediately after a prayer session with his disciples that Jesus asked two questions about his perceived identity. But in the accounts of Matthew and Mark the incident occurred at Caesarea Philippi, presently called Banias, twenty-five miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. This city was founded by King Philip, the son of Herod the Great, to perpetuate his own memory and to honor the Roman emperor Caesar. It was situated on a beautiful terrace about 1150 feet above sea level on the southwest slope of Mount Hermon overlooking the Jordan valley. The city was a great pilgrimage center for pagans because it held temples for the Syrian gods Bal and Pan, one for the Roman God Jupiter and a marble temple for the emperor Caesar. Jesus realized that if his disciples did not know who he really was, then his entire ministry, suffering and death would be useless. Hence, he decided to ask a question in two parts.

The first question: “Who do the crowds say I am ?” Their answer was, “Some say that you are John the Baptist, others say that you are Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” John the Baptist was so great a figure that many Jews, and Herod their king, thought that John’s spirit had entered the body of Jesus. Elijah, the greatest of the prophets was believed to be the forerunner of the Messiah.  ("Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes" –Mal 4:5). The phrase "one of the prophets"  suggested that Jesus had a ministry like that of the former prophets. When the people identified Jesus with Elijah and with Jeremiah they were, according to their lights, paying him a great compliment and setting him in a high place because Elijah was none other than the expected forerunner of the Anointed One of God.

The second question: “Who do you say I am ? For the first time in their relationship Peter, speaking for the other disciples, declared publicly: “You are God’s Messiah.” Peter was the first apostle to recognize Jesus publicly as the Anointed One (also translated Messiah or Christ).  Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah. To say that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed one of God was to say that Jesus was God who became Man to save sinners!  However, Jesus was quick to explain to the disciples that he was not a political Messiah who would reestablish the Davidic kingdom after ousting the Romans. Instead, he was the Messiah who would redeem mankind by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Like the "pierced one" in the first reading, Jesus accepted suffering as part of his mission and out of fidelity toward the One Whom he called Father. Jesus’ example provides a

5

challenge for us all to accept the mystery of the cross when our turn comes to follow the Jesus by suffering with him.

The three requirements for Christian discipleship: Jesus promptly emphasized the fact that he was not the political, conquering Messiah of Jewish expectations by declaring three stringent requirements to be met by his disciples: ““If anyone wants to come with me he must deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow me.” Christian discipleship demands honesty of a disciple in order for him to practice self-control (“to offer our bodies as a willing sacrifice to God”), willingness to suffer, and readiness to follow Jesus by obeying his commandment of love. A) Self-denial: Self-denial requires that we evict selfish thoughts, evil desires and tendencies from our hearts and fill them with God. It also requires that we cleanse ourselves of all evil habits, enthrone God in our hearts and share Him with others. B) Carrying our cross with Jesus: The cross always means pain and suffering. Our sufferings become one with Jesus’ sufferings on the cross with their saving power 1) when we accept them as His gift to us and endure them patiently, cheerfully if possible; 2) when we suffer by serving others selflessly, 3) when we give ourselves – our health, wealth, time and talents -- to others even when it costs us a struggle and 4) when we do penance to make reparation for our sins and the sins of the world. C) Following Jesus: As followers of Christ, we should live our lives according to the word of God, by obeying what is commanded by Jesus. Since Mark’s Gospel was written within vivid memory of both the horrors of the Jewish war against Rome and the persecution under Nero, when Christians were used as torches to light Nero’s garden, the readers recognized that Jesus’ predictions about Christian suffering had been tragically fulfilled in their own community.

Losing life, finding life: Christians started experiencing persecution by the Jews and the Romans while Luke wrote his Gospel. Hence, he emphasizes Jesus’ teaching that a man who is faithful may die for his Faith in Jesus, but in dying he will live. The man who risks everything for Christ finds life. On the other hand the man who abandons his Faith for safety or security may live, but he is actually dying. History is full of noble souls who risked their lives for the sake of others. If certain scientists had not been prepared to take risks, many a medical cure would not exist. If mothers were not prepared to take risks, no child would ever be born. If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that there are constant opportunities for us to choose to be true to the Gospel.  But the world is essentially opposed to the Gospel and those who live out its truths.  

Life Messages: #1: What does Jesus mean to us? Founder of a religion like Buddha and Confucius? Revolutionary Jewish reformer? One of the great teachers? Son of God and personal Savior? This can perhaps be broken down into other questions:  "How do I really see Jesus? Is Jesus a living experience for me, walking with me, loving me, forgiving me, helping me and

6

transforming my life and outlook? What difference does Jesus make in my life?  Have I really given my life to him?  Are there areas where I have excluded Him, where my life is not noticeably different from the lives of those who see Jesus as irrelevant? Who do we say that Jesus is through our daily life? Who do we say that He is when we are in the presence of those who don't know him, those who aren't interested in him? What does the way we live and behave say about who Jesus is? Is the joy, the love, the peace that we find in Jesus reflected in the way we live our lives? We are gathered here today in the name of Jesus. We have not come together to celebrate a memorial for a merely good man who died long ago. We are here to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, the Messiah, our Lord and personal Savior, in this Eucharistic celebration.

2) We need to experience Jesus as our Lord and Savior and surrender our life to him. The knowledge of Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior should become a living, personal experience for each Christian. With God’s ongoing grace, we learn to perceive Jesus this way by listening to him through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, by talking to him through daily, personal and family prayers, by offering to him our lives on the altar in the Holy Mass and by being reconciled to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The next step for us is to surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering humble and loving service to others with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person. Our final step is to praise and thank God in all the events of our lives, both good and bad, realizing that God’s loving hand is behind every event of our lives.

# 3: Are we ready to take up our crosses and follow Jesus? Do we have enough Faith to offer up a genuine sacrifice for Christ's sake? Can a Church in today's self-centered culture ask its people to sacrifice something for the sake of the Gospel? Jesus' challenge to all would-be disciples requires more than a "feel-good" spirituality. A true disciple asks, "Am I willing to sacrifice something for the Kingdom?"  What made it possible for first-century Christians to choose a martyr's death? What has kept generations of Christians from losing Faith and falling apart when confronted by the violence and hatred of this world? How can we realize even the day-to-day sacrifices asked by our Faith when they demand things we don't want to do?  Can we sacrifice some of our time in order to visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen? Can we sacrifice our job security and refuse to "go along" with a policy that is unjust? Can we sacrifice our need to be in control and let Christ do with us what he will? Can we refuse to let our children watch television programs filled with sex and violence?

Joke of the week : 1) Indulgent self-denial: An overweight executive went on a strict diet after announcing it to his staff in the office. Then one morning he showed up at the office with a huge coffee-cake. He was roundly scolded by his staff for breaking his diet. But he said, "Wait a minute. I can explain.

7

On my way to work this morning, I saw this coffee cake in the window of a bakery. And I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to have it, provide a parking space right in front of the bakery.' And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was."

2) What happens when sermons become sleeping pills: "I hope you didn't take it personally, Father," an embarrassed woman said to her pastor after the Mass, "that my husband walked out during your homily." "I did find it rather disconcerting," the preacher replied. "It's not a reflection on you, Father," she insisted. "Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child."

3) The Catholic’s general knowledge about the Bible and the Messiah: A Sunday school teacher was telling the students of how the walls of Jericho came down amazingly by the blowing of trumpets and shouts of the people. Observing that Johnny was day-dreaming, the teacher asked him: “Johnny who knocked down the walls of Jericho?” Johnny started shouting furiously, "I didn't do it, I didn't do it!," and he ran from the class in protest. That evening the teacher met his parents in the park and spoke to Johnny’s mother. She told her the story of what happened in the class and about Johnny’s unreasonable outburst in the class. His mother said, "If my son said he didn't do it, then he didn't do it! I trained him not to tell lies.” The perplexed teacher asked Johnny’s mother if she could speak to the boy's father. When she explained the incident to him he said: "Let's not fuss about this. Just tell me how much it will cost to repair the walls and I'll write a check."

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

1) Liberation theology: http://liberationtheology.org/articles/p ,

2)  Spirituality topics: http://www.shc.edu/theolibrary/spirit.htm

3) Marian materials: C:\WUTemp\Website links\virginmary.htm  

24- Additional anecdotes: 1) "To draw out all his   savings ?" A teacher was giving her students a lesson in logic. "Here is the situation," she said. "A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife in her riverside

8

house hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank instead of calling for help?" A girl raised her hand and asked, "To draw out all his savings?" In today’s Gospel, the disciples are faced with a similar situation – like being in class when the teacher asks a very important question. We want to seem intelligent so we blurt out an answer – not always the right one – but an answer nonetheless.   In today’s Gospel lesson Peter blurts out an answer that is theologically correct, inspired and amazing.

2) Mount Rushmore National Memorial : When one thinks of South Dakota, one thinks of Mount Rushmore. Carved into the mountainside by Gutzon Borglum are the heads of four of the great leaders of the United States. It's ironic that this monument is in the heart of an area sacred to the Lakota and Dakota people whose ancestors possessed the land centuries before George Washington's family came to America. Thousands of Americans visit Mount Rushmore each year. Many come away with flags, patriotic symbols and T- shirts reading, "God Bless America." Perhaps they feel a rush of pride and make resolutions to be better Americans in the future. Let us remember that Christians are part of the rock. Jesus built his Church on the rock of Peter as a reward for his great confession of Faith in the Divinity of Christ. The members of the Church are given a new face on the same rock, the face of Jesus, as they proclaim his love, mercy, forgiveness in their daily lives.

3) “ Who do you think I am? ” In 1896, after fifteen centuries, Athens renewed the Olympic Games, thus fulfilling the dream of Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France. You can imagine how proud the Greeks were to host the first modern Olympics. You can also imagine how disappointed they were at their athletes' lack of success in event after event. The last competition was the marathon. Greece's entrant was named Louis, a shepherd without competitive background. He'd trained alone in the hills near his flock. When the race started, Louis was far back in the pack of marathoners. But as the miles passed, he moved up steadily. One by one the leaders began to falter. The Frenchman fell in agony. The hero from the United States had to quit the race. Soon, word reached the stadium that a lone runner was approaching the arena, and the emblem of Greece was on his chest! As the excitement grew, Prince George of Greece hurried to the stadium entrance where he met Louis and ran with him to the finish line. In this sports tale we have something of the history of the human race. Jesus Christ started from way back in the pack. He was born in relative obscurity, never had many followers, commanded no army, erected no edifices, wrote no books. He died young, was buried in a borrowed grave, and you'd think he'd be quickly forgotten. But, no! His reputation has grown, so that today he is worshiped on every continent, has more followers than ever before and sixteen times has had his picture on the cover of Time magazine, while his sayings have been translated into more than 200 languages. Consider: Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, and Aristotle, forty. Jesus Christ only taught for

9

three years. Yet which has influenced the world more, one hundred thirty years of classical thought or three years of Christ's? In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. "Christ," he wrote, "is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth." As Emerson once noted, "The name of Jesus is not so much written as PLOUGHED into the history of the world." Today’s Gospel reveals his true identity and describes what one must do to follow him.

4) Who is this Jesus? Where do we find him? In his book, Pray from Where You Are, James Carroll recalls something many of us remember from our childhood. Every Sunday, the comic page of our newspapers used to carry a series of printed games. One of everybody’s favorites was a picture showing some scene, like a family enjoying a picnic in a park. Printed beneath the picture were the words, “Can you find the man hidden in the picture?” You’d look and look, and at first wouldn’t see anything that looked like a man. Then you’d turn the paper this way and that to get a different view of it. Suddenly, from the edge of a fluffy white cloud you’d see an ear. Then, from the green leaves of a tree you’d see a mouth, and so on, until you’d see an entire man’s face smiling out at you from the picnic scene. Once you saw the man, that picnic scene was never the same again. For you had found the hidden man. You yourself had seen the smiling face. It’s the same way in our own lives. We Christians know by Faith that there is a man hidden away in every scene of daily life. And that man’s name is Jesus. Once we find him, up close and personal, no scene in our lives is ever the same. That is part of the message of today’s Gospel. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies)

5 Confusion most confounded: Just take the world of medicine. Anyone confused like I am? Does it seem to you that one study is always negating the finds of the previous study? Hormone replacement therapy is great. No. Hormone replacement therapy causes cancer. Saccharine causes cancer; NutraSweet is good. No. NutraSweet causes cancer and Saccharine is good. LowCarb/HighFat is the best diet. Whoops, no, we meant to say NoFat/LowCarb is the best diet. Being slightly underweight is best. No. Being slightly overweight is best. Stock market recommendations and economist's predictions are equally confusing. Watch Fox's Saturday morning stock market analysis. The experts end up calling each other's advice ridiculous, completely wrong, amazingly erroneous, downright stupid. Same thing happened at Caesarea Philippi where Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God. Jesus congratulated him as the spokesman of God the Father’s revelation. At the same time Jesus warned his disciples not to tell this truth to any one.

10

6) What is in a name? In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says to Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." The Journal of the American Medical Association did a study on the names of people in the medical profession in the United States. Doctors’ names included: Needle, Probe, Lance, Ligate, Drill, Scope, Bolt, Pin, Croak and Klutz. On the up side, we find physicians named Fix, Cure, Heal, Brilliant, Able and Best. Our vet’s name is Dr. Fish. There is an Episcopal priest in New York City named Donald Goodness. Do names make a difference? Can a person’s name determine his or her destiny? If you had the choice, would you pick Dr. Brilliant or Dr. Klutz? Many actors will take a stage name because their real name is considered unattractive, dull, or amusing for the wrong reason, or because it projects the wrong image, or is considered too “ethnic.” Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus, who gave Simon a new name, Peter, made him the bedrock foundation of his Church.

7) Film - Shoes of the Fisherman : When the Italian pope dies in the latter part of the twentieth century, the Cardinals debate who will succeed him. Some want a conservative pope, while others feel that modern times call for a different approach so that the Church can speak to the real needs of the people. The conclave elects a Slavic cardinal who was imprisoned for twenty years by the Communists. He becomes Pope Kiril I. He feels constricted by Vatican protocol, so he ventures out one night to meet the real people of Rome. He also relates to theologians in difficulties with pastoral kindness and understanding. At his papal coronation, he gives away his tiara. He tries to negotiate an accord between China and Russia, which are at war, and he says he is ready to sell the treasures of the Vatican to alleviate starvation in China. When Morris West’s novel Shoes of the Fisherman first appeared in 1963, it was regarded as prophetic. When John Paul I died in 1978 after barely a month in office, the Polish Pope, Karol Wojtyla, was elected. St. John Paul II is considered to have been one of the chief influences in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Morris West was even more prophetic than people realized. The Shoes of the Fisherman takes past perceptions of the papacy and papal authority and looks at them in new ways. Like Pope Kiril in the film, Pope St. John Paul traveled outside Rome and tried to enter into dialogue with everyone. He exercised spiritual authority and tried to show that the role of the papacy was for service, especially in the political and economic arenas. The film shows the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. The Shoes of the Fisherman continues to challenge audiences to understand the papacy more deeply. The Shoes of the Fisherman was almost a blueprint for the papacy of John Paul II. The film expresses a different yet converging definition of what ‘Church’ means and what authority and service entails. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera….Faith!)

8) Pray TV and the dog Spuds MacKenzie : The ABC television network carried a program titled Pray TV. Actor John Ritter played the role of an evangelist. Incredibly, some 22,000 people called local television stations wanting to

11

pledge financial contributions to Ritter's work. These figures were verified by various telephone companies who had monitored and logged the incoming calls. Just after a scene in which the evangelist said, "We need your prayers," a fictitious toll-free number was flashed on the screen. Many viewers around the country tried to phone the number to offer prayers and money. It pays never to underestimate the gullibility of the American people. Characters in soap operas tell horror stories about viewers who confuse the actors with the roles they are playing. In 1968, when actor Leslie Nielsen played a brutal sheriff in the television film Shadow Over Elviron, he received more than two hundred poison pen letters, mostly from women. Some of these were shockingly vulgar. Even Spuds MacKenzie, the dog on certain beer commercials, receives an average of five thousand letters a month. Not the trainer, not the sponsor, not the agent, not the handlers – the dog herself receives the fan mail! Jesus wasn't really that concerned about what the masses were thinking about him. Winston Churchill once was congratulated on the size of a crowd that turned out to hear him speak. He said the crowd would be twice as large if he were being hanged. Jesus knew that some in the crowds cheering him would later shout the loudest for his crucifixion. So, he wasn't really all that concerned when he asked, "Who do men say that I am?" However, he was concerned when he turned to his disciples and asked them, "And who do you say that I am?" Jesus' plan for the salvation of the world lay with this small group of men and so their knowledge of their leader as God was very important for their mission.

9) “You are the Christ.” Fr. Herbert O’Driscoll uses a wonderful image to explain the structure of the Church. His idea is to look at all of the last 20 centuries as rings of time, or as concentric circles of time.   Today's Christians, in the 21st century, are in the outermost circle, farthest away from the center – which is a Cross. We are brought into the circle, into the faith, in large part because somewhere, somehow, someone in the circle just before ours took us by the hand and said, “Come,” and so drew us in. That is one very important reason why we are here. That person was able to do this for us because someone had taken him or her by the hand and had drawn that person in. And so it went, back through all the centuries until we reach the hands that had actually touched the mark of the nails. In this way, Christ builds his Church. We constantly re-live this Gospel story.   When we say to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” he says to each of us—“You, …..” What happened to Peter continues to happen and actually includes us.

10) Peter Johnson the Rocky: It is said that Winston Churchill never liked talking to subordinates. He always wanted to go to the top because he figured that was the only way he could get any action. So, as the story goes, when Churchill went to Heaven, he met St. Peter at the gate and said, "Who are you?" When Peter said, "I'm St. Peter," Churchill said, "To hell with you, get God!" How did poor Peter get this job in the first place? It all started with the story recounted in this text when Jesus renamed him "Rocky" and gave

12

him the keys to the kingdom. Actually he called him Cephas which is an Aramaic nickname meaning rock. Its Greek counterpart is Petros which also means rock. Thus, on that day at Caesarea Philippi about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, Simon Johnson, as he was known to his fishing buddies and his family, got a new name -- Rocky. Rocky was the big one, bigger than the boxer by that name: Marciano or the character Sylvester Stallone played in the movie called Rocky and all its sequels. I can just hear him calling the other disciples with a tough Brooklyn street kid accent, "Hey you'se guys, let's go get some fish."

11) “Catholic Church" or “universal church ”: A woman was talking to her Presbyterian minister. She was taking him to task for using, in praying the creed during a worship service, the words, "I believe in the holy, catholic church" instead of saying “universal church” or something similar, because, she said, it was "not Presbyterian." "Well," the minister replied, "you don't mean to say that you believe that the only way you can get to Heaven is by being a Presbyterian, do you!" She thought a minute and said, "No, not really. But no genteel person would think of going any other way." [B. Clayton Bell, Moorings in a World Adrift: Answers for Christians Who Dare to Ask Why, (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990) p. 87.]

12) “The powers of death (Gates of hell) shall not prevail against it .” There is a story about a poor guy who died. Much to his surprise he was sentenced not to Heaven, but to Satan's domain. Before he was admitted, however, he was interviewed by Satan himself. "It's pretty bad down here, isn't it?" asked the man. "Not at all!" said Satan. "You're surrounded by people who know how to enjoy! Each day we have a theme. Monday, for example, is Party Day! We party around the clock. Tuesday is Alcohol Day! An open bar, take all you want! Wednesday is Tobacco Day! The finest Havana cigars, all the best cigarette blends." The guy begins to brighten up. He says, "I'm sold. Let me in!" They let him in the gate and he promptly falls into a fiery pit where he is prodded by a nasty looking thing with a pitchfork. "Hey," he cried, "what happened to those Theme Days?" "Today is Thursday," Satan giggles with glee. "Thursdays we tell lies!" (The Jokesmith)

13) “The powers of death shall not prevail against it .” Elaine Pagels is a distinguished professor at Princeton University who studies and knows a lot about the human phenomenon of religion. She begins her book, Beyond Belief, with an unusual anecdote and a very powerful witness. On a bright, cold Sunday morning in New York, she interrupted her daily run by stopping in the vestibule of a Church to get warm. Two days earlier, her two-and-a-half-year-old son had been diagnosed with an invariably fatal lung disease. Two-and-a-half years old. Barely born and already dying. Imagine the pain in her heart, if you can. But here is how she describes that scene in the Church that day: "Since I had not been in Church for a long time, I was startled by

13

my response to the worship in progress--the soaring harmonies of the choir singing with the congregation; and the priest, a woman in bright gold and white vestments, proclaiming the prayers in a clear resonant voice. As I stood watching, a thought came to me: Here is a family that knows how to face death…Standing in the back of that church, I recognized, uncomfortably, that I needed to be there. Here was a place to weep without imposing tears upon a child; and here was a heterogeneous community that had gathered to sing, to celebrate, to acknowledge common needs, and to deal with what we cannot control or imagine." (http://www.uccseb.org/Sermons/2004/March%2028,%202004.htm )

14) Wings for the birds: An old legend relates that long ago God had a great many burdens which He wished to have carried from one place to another on earth, so He asked the animals to lend a hand. But all of them began to make excuses for not helping: the elephant was too dignified; the lion, too proud; and so on. Finally the birds came to God and said, “If you will tie the burdens into small bundles, we’ll be glad to carry them for you. We are small but we would like to help.” So God fastened upon the back of each one a small bundle, and they all set out walking across the plain to their destination. They sang as they went, and did not seem to feel the weight of their burdens at all. Every day the burdens seemed lighter and lighter, until the loads seems to be lifting the birds, instead of the birds carrying the burdens. When they arrived at their destination, they discovered that when they removed their loads, there were wings in their place, wings which enabled them to fly to the sky and the tree tops. They had learned how to carry their burdens, and their loads had become wings to carry them nearer to God.  Burdens we carry for others may become wings of the spirit, to lift us into happiness such as we have never known. (Fr. Eugene Lobo S. J.).

15) "Golden-haired floating Madonna: " In July of 1981, six girls in the mountain village of Citluk, Yugoslavia, reported that they had seen a "golden-haired Madonna" who seemed to be "floating over a remote mountain meadow." The government's official press paid little attention to the first reports but "as reports spread, as many as 30,000 Yugoslav Christians flocked to the area" in the hope of seeing the Madonna. Then the government became alarmed, called the vision "a publicity trick" by the Church, expelled eleven people from the party, jailed at least five people, including two Serbian Orthodox priests and a Catholic priest whose parish included Citluk, "for spreading hostile propaganda." But the girls insisted that they had seen the Madonna, and it was their reports of what they had seen - a revelation as far as they were concerned - that stirred up the religious fervor and the gathering of the crowds at Citluk. They simply knew and told what they had seen. The government wanted them to be quiet. The strange thing about this story in Luke is that it was Jesus who reacted immediately to the "You are the Christ of God" answer and silenced Peter and the disciples until after his death and Resurrection.

14

16) "They" say: "They" say that the next President of the United States is going to be a woman. "They" say that the next winter will be one of the coldest on record. "They" say that two heads are better than one. "They" say that if a rooster crows late in the day, rain is on the way. Surely you have heard of "They." It is almost certain that at one time or another you have referred to "They" when relating some bit of information in the course of a conversation. "They" say! "They" are always saying something. And it is not enough that they are always saying something, "They" are always doing something. "They are wearing a lot of browns and blues together this year." "They are wearing such-and-such jogging shoes now." Who composes this faceless, all-knowing, oft-quoted body of experts on virtually every subject? It is not really necessary to reach for their names or strain to see their faces. Regardless of who they are or what they look like, we know that "They" exert a tremendous influence upon what we say and do. "They" have a great deal to do with the shaping of public opinion. As a matter of fact, "They" may sometimes be public opinion. When Jesus and his disciples had come to Bethsaida, they sought out a place to pray privately. At some point during their prayers, Jesus abruptly asked, "Who do they say that I am?"

17) "Teach him that he must deny himself." In Douglas Southall Freeman's classic biography of the famous Southern commander, Robert E. Lee, he tells about a young mother who brought her baby to him to be blessed. General Lee took the infant in his arms, looked at it, and then said to the mother, "Teach him that he must deny himself." Our Gospel for today agrees wholeheartedly with General Lee. Jesus said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

18) Hunger, thirst, hardships, and death : After the siege of Rome in 1849, Garibaldi, the Italian patriot proclaimed: "Soldiers, all our efforts against superior forces have been unavailing. I have nothing to offer but hunger, thirst, hardships, and death." Those Italian soldiers rose to the occasion, liberated their people, and established a nation. In a similar manner, Christ's call to sacrificial commitment releases the heroic dimension of Christian discipleship. 19) Wanted: True Followers of Jesus Christ : Sir Ernest Shackleton needed 28 volunteers for a dangerous mission to the South Pole. So he placed the following advertisement in the London Times: "Wanted: Persons for a dangerous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition if successful." Many skeptics were doubtful if he would get volunteers. To their stunned disbelief, he was swamped by over 5000 applications from all over England. From these he selected 28 most eligible and in spite of the anticipated hardships, all returned safely to honor and recognition. -Jesus extends the same invitation to all his followers. It is neither a call to take up arms, nor to embark on a

15

hazardous expedition. But it is an invitation to collaborate with him in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth; it is a call to work with him in transforming the world and making it a place God wants it to be. Of course this challenge is complex and demanding: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Countless people have faithfully and generously responded over the past 2000 years, and have striven nobly to make this a better world. Each of us is invited to follow in the footsteps of Jesus for this same mission. What is our answer? (James Valladares in Your Words, O Lord, are Spirit, and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

20) Carrying our own cross : Wilma Rudolf was a disaster from birth. She was a tiny premature baby, who caught pneumonia, then scarlet fever and finally polio. The polio left one leg badly crippled, with her foot twisted inward. Until the age of seven Wilma hobbled around on metal braces. Then she asked her sister to watch while she practiced walking without braces. She kept this up every day, afraid her parents might discover what she was doing, and she would have to stop. Eventually, feeling guilty, she told her doctor, who was flabbergasted. However, he gave her permission to continue as she was, but only for a short period of time. Wilma worked at it until she was able to throw away her crutches for good. She progressed to running and by the time she was sixteen she won a bronze medal in a relay race in the Melbourne Olympics. Four years later in the Rome Olympics, she became the first woman to win three gold medals in track and field. She returned to a ticker-tape parade of welcome in the US, had a private meeting with President Kennedy, and received the Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete. – It is in facing up to the daily carrying of the cross that releases within us our full potential. (Jack McArdle in And that’s the Gospel Truth; quoted by Fr. Botelho.)21) Film ‘Falling Down’ : In L.A., Bill frets in his car. He is in a traffic jam. He is surrounded by noise, heat and squabbling. His license plate indicates his work, D-FENS. Foster abandons his car in frustration. At the same time Detective Martin Prendergast sits in the same traffic jam and notices the billboards around him. He sees the man walk away from his car. He helps to push it off to the side of the road and notices the vanity license plate. It is Prendergast’s last day on the job because he is retiring. As information comes in about what D-FENS is doing, he begins to make connections and takes on the job of solving the problem, even as he is being processed out of the police department. Prendergast and another detective visit the scene of D-FENS first altercation. The detective realizes it is where he saw the man walk away that morning. He goes to the man’s home and meets the man’s mother who says that her son has been acting strangely. They learn that Foster has lost his job in the defense industry a month before and is not economically viable, and his wife has divorced him. Meanwhile Foster confronts violent elements in the city and builds up

16

a store of weapons while continually calling his wife on the phone. He inadvertently takes a family hostage on the grounds of a lavish home and explains his desperation to them. He arrives home and finds his wife and daughter gone. Finally, he sees them on the Venice pier. Prendergast arrives soon after. In the confrontation, he explains that he has been lied to and victimized. Prendergast tells him he will go to jail, and Foster is surprised. He asks, “Am I the bad guy?” He provokes Prendergast into a shootout on the pier so he won’t go to jail. He and Prendergast draw their guns. Foster is wielding only a water pistol. He is shot to death and falls into the sea. –Falling Down is a movie that looks at the situation of middle-aged men in American society who have found that they are redundant and ineffectual in the late twentieth century. Falling Down reminds us that many people have no knowledge of the promise of Jesus and so are caught up in the crosses they have to bear that they lose life instead of gaining it. Bill Foster wants to save his life but instead finally sees no other way of coping with life than to opt out of it. Which path of life are we treading?(Peter Malone in Lights, camera….FAITH!; quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

22) No pain no gain : Some time ago several movies reflected the connection that exists between suffering and success. The Rocky series about boxing, Chariots of Fire about track events, Vision Quest about wrestling, illustrate how pain is the price athletes have to pay for victory. We get the same message from television, too. Paper Chase about lawyers, St. Elsewhere about doctors, and Fame about theatre performers emphasize how long hours of study and training are necessary to become a true professional. In other words the common athlete locker room slogan of “No pain no gain” fits especially well in libraries, labs and dressing rooms. The message is the same –without discipline there can be no development; without denial, no dedication; without some suffering, no success. A similar message appears in today’s readings. Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ (Quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

23) Paying the price… Mr., an atheist millionaire of Philadelphia, one Saturday ordered all his clerks to come the next day to his wharf and help unload the newly arrived ship. One young man replied quietly: “Mr. Girard, I can’t work on Sundays.” “You know our rules?” “Yes, I know, but I can’t work on Sundays.” “Well, step up to the desk and the cashier will settle with you.” For three weeks the young man could find no work, but one day a banker came to Girard to ask if he could recommend a man for cashier in a new bank. The discharged young man was at once named as a suitable person. Although Girard had dismissed the man, he recognized his sterling character. Anyone who could sacrifice his own interests for what he believed to be right would make a loyal trustworthy cashier. Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’(Quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

17

24) What do you know of Jesus? A poor illiterate man wanted to be baptized. The parish priest asked him many questions to see whether he was fit for baptism. “Where was Jesus born? How many apostles did he have? How many years did he live? Where did he die? The poor man knew nothing of all these questions. Irritated, the priest then said, “At least you know prayers like the Our Father and the I Believe”? The man again shook his head. “What do you know then?” asked the priest flabbergasted. The man explained, “Before I met Jesus I was a drunkard who beat up my wife and children; I lost my job and was wasting my life.” Then he continued, “But after encountering Jesus, I’ve quit drinking. I work hard and have begun to love my family. For me Jesus is my personal Saviour!” Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’(Quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

Watch https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60396574E0A0B9A2 or visit Bustedhalo.com for beautiful YouTube lessons for kids & the youth.

Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05YB2jdHLsY&list=PL60396574E0A0B9A2&index=1 for beautiful YouTube presentation on seven Sacraments for kids& the youth

For the Youth: http://bustedhalo.com/category/sexandrelationships

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No. 36) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Fr. Anthony Kadavil, St. John the Baptist Church, POB 417, 12450 Hwy 188, Grand Bay, AL 36541