THE WORD
Eccl 3,1-11 / Lk 9,18-22
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
IN OTHER WORDS
“Who is Jesus?” for Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, is the fundamental question for Christology. This question facilitates the theological interpretation of Jesus Christ, clarifying systematically who and what he is in himself and for those who believe in him.
Mark, in our gospel today, narrates a similar question raised by Jesus to Peter and the other disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter who acted as spokesman for the disciples replied with a short but solemn profession of faith: “The Messiah of God.” This question purposely directs us to the heart of Christian discipleship: Jesus Christ. We believe that our vocation and mission in life is always founded on our faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in him primarily entails knowing him.
What does ‘knowing’ Jesus entail? The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC) teaches us the presuppositions of knowing Jesus: First, we must recognize that to really know him is a life-long task.
It is life-long because only in him do we come to know our true selves, and the deepest meaning and direction of our lives. Second, it is a living, changing, growing and deepening experience. Third, it means being committed to following him as his disciples, following to the cross. (CFC 470-473) For Pope Francis, to know Jesus means to encounter. It is necessary to get to know Jesus in our encounter with Him in prayer. To pray is to get involved with him. If we do not pray, if we do not have a personal encounter with him, then we do not know Him. We will know only things about Jesus but not Jesus himself. And if we do not know him, we cannot love him at all.
- Fr. Jhonatan A. Letada, SVD | CKMS, Quezon City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
