Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time(B)
Isaiah 50:5-9; Psalms 116:1-6,8-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35
The legendary Hollywood motion picture executive, Samuel Goldwyn, was one of those people who “saves” everything. Through the years, he refused to allow his staff to throw anything away. His secretary began to get the feeling that she was drowning in the stacks of old telephone messages, letters and inter-office memos that were piled everywhere in the office. Consequently, in desperation, she pleaded with Goldwyn: “Please,” she said, “Won’t you allow me at least to throw away the memos and letters that are more than ten-years-old?” To which Samuel Goldwyn replied, “All right. But don’t forget to make a copy before you do.”
This story should remind us that as Christians and believers of Jesus, we should be “photo copies” of Jesus in words and in actions. Our Identity should be the Identity of Jesus.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” The Apostle Peter answers, “You are the Christ” (Mk. 8:27,29). Peter was identifying Christ as the Messiah of God, his Lord and Savior. That’s Faith! Then Jesus went on to teach the disciples that He “must suffer many things.” He described His mission on earth as sacrificial. And He made it clear that the same would be true in the mission of the disciples. “If anyone wants to be a follower of Mine, let him renounce himself” Jesus said. Let him “take up his cross and follow Me” (Mk. 8:34).

It is not a matter, on the one hand, of saying “You are the Christ” and on the other hand taking up your cross. Unless you are living your faith, you are going around in circles — faith and works must pull together, in this sense. They are inseparable.

Today’s Gospel Reading is the very core of the Gospel of Mark. The Christian group has perceived, through the action of God among them, the Messiah. Now they learn the cost of such an act of faith. Their faith will bring them not glory and triumph, but the demand to give of themselves.1

Jesus’ question concerning His identity has nothing to do with fingerprints, height, weight, color of skin, hair, eyes or date of birth. Jesus’ question is not addressed to His followers’ senses alone: How do I look? How do I sound? How do I feel? Jesus’ question is addressed to the “heart” which, in Biblical terms, means the “whole” person.

Jesus is asking, “What does My life and presence mean to your life?” “What is your understanding of My mission?” “Why do you follow Me wherever I go?” “Why do you listen to My preaching and teaching?” “What do I mean to you?” “What do you mean to Me?” These are the kinds of questions Jesus implies in those six little words, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter appears to be the only one prepared to answer. Remarkably, he sums up his perfect answer in the simple little phrase, “You are the Christ.”

Peter’s answer expresses not only the Mystery of Jesus’ life, but also the mystery of all our lives. Individually and as community our lives are Graced with such meaning and purpose as only God our Father can bestow, only Jesus our Lord and Savior can redeem, and only our love for one another can express.

Not only is each human being uniquely different from every other human being, but also the entire species is uniquely different from every other species. And this is so precisely because we are members of the only species capable of asking, “Who am I?” The question is built into our very beings. “Who am I?” is the name of the game of life. Everything we do, whether we fully realize it or not, is bound up in our relentless search for identity. We all “want to be somebody.” We all want to follow our creator. We all want to be Identified with Jesus.
As we celebrate Year of the Priest with the theme, “Come and share in the Prophetic, Priestly and Kingly missions of Jesus”, I would like to invite you to reflect and actively participate in the Prophetic Missions of Jesus. By virtue of our baptism, we share in these threefold missions of Jesus. And as Prophets, we are called not only to preach the good news but also to condemn the evils that are lurking in our society today. We should stand up on our faith and on our Christ’s identity and condemn all kind of evil that poisons our world today.
As you all know, the Marriage as a sacred institution and sacrament instituted by Christ is under fire because few but influential people in the government would like to change and alter the definition of Marriage in favor of allowing gay marriages. This is never correct and should never happen.
The Catholic Church teaches today and has always and everywhere taught for 2000 years that marriage is the union of one man and one woman as husband and wife.
In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. He did not create Adam and STEVE.
“Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose. No ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman, who by mutual personal gift, proper and exclusive to themselves, tend toward the communion of their persons. In this way, they mutually perfect each other, in order to cooperate with God in the procreation and upbringing of human lives.” (CDF)
Now tell me, how could Adam and STEVE procreate? How could MADAM and Eve cooperate with God in procreation?
This great truth about marriage is not some obscure doctrinal fine point but a fact of human nature, recognized from time immemorial by people of virtually every faith and culture. God made us male and female; only men and women cooperating in marital love together can truly become one flesh, and only marital unions further God’s purpose of creating new life that is welcomed, loved, nurtured and educated by their mother and father.
The Church teaches that man and woman are equal. However, man and woman are different from each other but created for each other. This complementarity, including sexual differences, draws them together in a mutually loving union that always should open to the procreation of children. (CCC, nos. 1602-1605)
These truths about marriage are present in the order of nature and can be perceived by the light of human reason and have been confirmed by Divine Revelation in Sacred Scripture.
I tell you most solemnly, if only Christ could appear before us today, he will tell us to do something against “Same-Sex Marriage.”
Therefore, as prophets and as people whose identity is of Christ, let us act now. Let us put into action our faith and our Identity in Christ.
Let us sign up the Petition Letters at the back of the church and let our voices be heard.
God bless you all. Amen