12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word:
The power of God’s spoken word deepens our compassion, enables us to forgive, and makes us steadfast in following Jesus.
Theme: The spoken word of God empowers us to renounce the lure of worldly attachments.
Promise: “Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Lk 9:24b)
Reflection:
Zechariah 13:1 foretells: “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.”That fountain is Christ Jesus our Lord, the fountain-source. He meets all our needs and is our help. Our soul clings fast to Him and we will always thirst for Him.
Who then is He? “Who do the crowds say that I am?” Jesus asks His disciples who had been with Him for three years, “but who do you say that I am?” Peter, who answered for the group, replies: “The Messiah of God.” Peter not only responds to Jesus’ question, but professes that Jesus is the Son of God, the Promised One who comes to bring about the Kingdom of God among His people, who had been wallowing in loneliness, helplessness and despair.
Jesus is inviting us to share in His redemptive work when he tells us that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him. Yes, He is our Savior, our Messiah, and the way to salvation is His way. Jesus also taught us to make the cross the defining characteristic of our lives. The way of life is the way of the cross, and the cross is the price of discipleship. To take up the cross is to die to ourselves “to renounce the lure of worldly attachments. It is to give up one’s own plans and to accept God’s plan – the path of conversion. We are not asked to give up living, but rather to accept a newness and fullness of life that only He can give. It leads us to trust in Him and in His plan of salvation, and to believe that in demonstrating His love for each one of us, He died for us. In order that we may be more and more like Christ, the BLD community word for this month states, “The power of God’s spoken word deepens our compassion, enables us to forgive and makes us steadfast in following Jesus.”
If you were to be asked that question, “Who do say that I am?” how would you reply? We may know our theology and basic catechism, memorize all our prayers and be familiar with the teachings of the Church, but Jesus wants a personal answer. He expects a reply based on our personal, intimate encounter and knowledge of Him. If we truly recognize Jesus as our divinely inspired teacher, then we must pay close attention to what He says, believe and live His teachings. If we accept Him as the Messiah, then we should serve Him as God’s royal representative who ushers us into His kingdom. If we acknowledge Jesus as the Savior of the world, then we should put our ultimate faith in Him. And if we confess Him to be the Word of God Incarnate, the very Son of God, then we should fall before Him in worship and live our life as worthy offerings to Him.
The Lord tells us that if our faith in Him is strong, if we believe He is the Savior sent by the Father, and are resolved to follow Him, then we must be ready to yield our personal agenda, take up our cross daily, and follow in His footsteps. But to follow Him is not easy, it is to enter into a world of sacrifice that may require giving up our pleasures and comfort zones. May the example of Jesus inspire us to be powerful witnesses to our faith. May we show by our deeds that we truly believe in Him and all that He stands for.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, show us how to know you more nearly, love you dearly, and serve you more freely through others, and to recognize you as Jesus, our Savior, the Messiah and the Christ of God. We likewise pray for the courage, strength and faith to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow You. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do I have that personal and intimate relationship with Jesus that will enable me to honestly and sincerely answer the question, “But who do you say that I am?”
2. Who is Jesus Christ for and in me?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
June 19, 2016 (Sun) Zec 12:10-11;13:1/Ps 63:2,3-4,5-4,8-9/Gal 3:26-29/Lk 9:18-24
June 20, 2016 (Mon) 2 Kgs 17:5-8,13-15,18/Ps 60:3,4-5,12-13/Mt 7:1-5
June 21, 2016 (Tue) 2 Kgs 19:9-11,14-21,31-35,36/Ps 48:2-3,3-4,10-11/Mt 7:6,12-14
June 22, 2016 (Wed) Kgs 22:8-13;23-13/Ps 119:33,34,35,36,37,40/Mt 7:15-20
June 23, 2016 (Thu) 2 Kgs 24:8-17/Ps 79:1-2,3-5,8,9/Mt 7:21-29
June 24, 2016 (Fri) Is 49:1-6/Ps 139:1-3,13-14,14-15/Acts 13:22-26/Lk 1:57-66,80
June 25, 2016 (Sat) Lam 2:2,10-14,18-19/Ps 74:1-2,3-5,6-7,20-21/Mt 8:5-17
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
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