Jesus Christ Is Lord!

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reflecting on the Word

By Dr. Karla J. Bellinger

Imagine that you are Judas Iscariot in this scene. You stand beneath the cliffs at Caesarea Philippi. Streams of water flow past  lush growths of fig trees. This is one of Jesus’ favorite places of peace,  a retreat from the stark heat and the politics of Jerusalem. Yet in the  midst of this Roman city of pagan worship, your heart is not at  peace. Jesus asks you all, “Who do you say that I am?” You’ve been  pondering that question yourself. You hope for a rich intellectual  discussion now. 

Who does Peter think that he is? The big fisherman butters up  the carpenter from Galilee by blurting out, “You are the Messiah,  the Son of the living God.” Come on, Peter. That is pretty radical  stuff—how can you say that? It has been an incredible journey, true.  We’ve seen bent limbs made straight, the blind see, crazy people  restored to their right minds . . . Jesus is a good guy, no mistake, but  the Messiah? He might lead a revolution and set our nation free.  Or he might not. He’s hard to read. He might be useful. But he’s  unpredictable. Not easy to manipulate. 

Look at the way Jesus is exalting Peter, the lumbering lout. “Keys  to the kingdom? Rock?” No way. Judas has been trying to get  the others to follow his lead, but they keep looking to Simon for  leadership. He’s the least qualified to lead this group—impulsive,  inconsistent, a big mouth, runs when things get tough. Nothing  firm about him, certainly no “rock.” Why doesn’t Jesus turn to  you—you’ve got a good head for figures, you plan ahead, you have  a passion to get things done. Peter? None of those qualities. Jesus  turns and looks at you. His eyes search yours, “Who do you say that  I am, Judas?”

Consider/Discuss 

  • Is God “useful” to us? Do we feel we have to stand on our own or is Jesus  our “Lord”? Or is it sometimes both? What does it mean to say with our  whole heart that someone else, not us, is in charge of our lives and our  parish communities, that “Jesus is Lord”? 
  • In the Gospels, Peter is sometimes portrayed as inept. But when the Holy  Spirit descended upon him at Pentecost, he became highly qualified to  do what he had to do. Do we ever use Peter’s example to excuse our  weaknesses, permitting ourselves to slack off from being effective in human  endeavors? Or do we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen us so that we  grow skilled in our discipleship? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

God of the Church, unless we see things from your perspective, we  don’t always know the difference between wisdom and foolishness,  especially in institutions. You see our brokenness. You know the times  when we have used the things of faith only for our own advantage.  Forgive us for that. Purify us so that your Spirit can flow through us  more virtuously. We pray for the Church. Holy Spirit, unite what is  fragmented and bring us together. Thank you for that hope of a new  day when all will be one.

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