24 th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” the gospel records that they all replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.”

But when Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” only one replied, and that was Simon Peter, who responded with his well-known profession of faith – “You are the Christ!”

“Who do you say that I am?”

For Peter, the answer to this question seems to have been rather easy – Jesus was the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah, the long-awaited Savior sent by God to be the redeemer of God's People Israel.

“Who do you say that I am?”

Each one of us might answer that question in a way that reflects both the shared faith of the Church and our own personal experience of who Jesus is for us.

“Who do you say that I am?”

Some may answer that Jesus is Lord, or Savior. Others may describe Jesus as a brother or a friend. Some may call Jesus a wise man or a holy man or a teacher. Others would call Jesus the Son of God or the Lamb of God or the Light of the World or the Bread of Life.

All would be correct, and each of these descriptions, and many others as well, would be the fruit of both a study of the teachings of our faith as well as the fruit of a personal experience of Jesus which is acquired through our celebration of the liturgy and a life of prayer and service in our Church.

Today the Church observes Catechetical Sunday – a time to pray for and bless all of those who are involved in the work of faith formation in our Church.

We use the term “faith formation” today rather than speaking of CCD or even of Religious Education as reminder that we come to be able to answer the question “who do we say that Jesus is” not only through study but also through prayer, the celebration of the sacraments, and a life of service in the Church.

Today we bless our catechists, the aides who assist them, our youth ministry volunteers, and all who participate as catechists and sponsors in our RCIA program who will help others during this coming year to be better able to answer the question “who do we say that Jesus is.”

We also ask God's blessings on the parents of our young people – they hold the primary responsibility for handing on our faith to their children.

And we ask God's blessings on our young people – and indeed on all of us – as we seek a deeper understanding and knowledge of who Jesus is this year and all the days of our lives.

The example of St. Peter teaches us today that is important not only to be able to know what others think when asked “who do people say Jesus is” – it is even more important to be able to answer the question “Who do you say that I am?”

On this Catechetical Sunday, let us reflect on how we might answer this question ourselves when in it is put to us in the gospel today, and whether we answer that Jesus is Lord, Savior, Brother, or Friend, let us be grateful for those who handed on our faith to us, and let us pray for those who now hand on our faith to another generation of young Christians in our Church today.

 

Thomas P. Ferguson
September 17, 2006