Jesus asks us: "Who do you say that I am?"

From today's Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples two questions:

               Who do people say that I am?

               Who do you say that I am?

This Wednesday Evening, we have the televised presidential debates in which some 15 republican presidential candidates will be answering these questions in so many words as they hope to persuade us that they are the right candidate to become the next president of the United States.

We will be challenged to vote for the candidate who has the values and the policies that we are looking for in the next president.

Next week, Pope Francis will be coming to Cuba and the United States visiting Washington, New York City, and Philadelphia.  As he addresses the Congress, the President, the United Nations, the American Bishops, and the World Meeting of Families of Philadelphia, we will come to know even more deeply who Pope Francis is and how he teaches the meaning of being a disciple of the Lord Jesus.  Pope Francis in declaring next year an extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy places mercy towards others as the beginning and the center of the rule of life for the disciples of Jesus.  Churches that do not open their doors to one and all are museums.  Also, Pope Francis is emphasizing the importance of family life.  Are families are holy,  and all families are God’s beloved families.

I invite you to compare and contrast the message of Pope Francis and the message of our presidential candidates as they communicate who they are and what they stand for.

When Jesus asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter responded:  “You are the Christ.”  Peter was right, but not right enough.  Peter has the right answer, but not the right meaning.  Peter had hoped that the long-awaited Messiah was to be regal, powerful, and a strong leader.   Peter did not understand the words of Jesus that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected and be killed and rise after three days.

Unaware, as yet, of the true nature of Jesus’ identity, Peter tried to set aside the unthinkable notion of a suffering Christ.  Jesus was explaining to his disciples his upcoming suffering, passion, death and resurrection.   For Jesus this is what the meaning of Messiah is, and this is the straight truth.

There is a crossroads in the journey of faith for many of us in our discipleship of the Lord Jesus.  We encounter that crossroads when we personally have to deal with suffering and struggle.  Sometimes that suffering is of our own doing -- dealing with the weaknesses and the demons within each of us – or sometimes the suffering comes from having to deal with realities we cannot control or manage -- as in illnesses or death of someone close to us.

In the face of dealing with life’s struggles, what happens to the piety and the prayerfulness of days gone by?  In speaking to the first disciples, Jesus is saying you indeed will experience rejection, the cross, and ultimately death.  This is the meaning of discipleship.  What is our understanding of our discipleship of the Lord Jesus?

As a parent, how do you handle suffering in the life of your son or daughter?  Perhaps the suffering that comes from their dealing with their own demons, or the suffering that is beyond our control such as a health issue or the suffering that comes from how they are treated or mistreated by others?  How do you come to terms with the unfairness of life?  There is a side of every parent that does not want to see their child suffer.  It hurts – for your son or daughter and it certainly hurts for you as well.  But unless you know something that I don’t know, none of us can put a shield around another that protects them from all suffering.

The deal for you as parents and for all of us as the disciples of Jesus is twofold:  yes, we will have to wrestle with the deepest meaning of life when we struggle and are in pain; and yes, the Lord Jesus and the Church that carries on the mission of the Lord Jesus will be with us every step of the way showering us with the compassion, the healing, and the love of Jesus.

In God’s eyes, no one is ever lost – not through death, not through illness, not though sinfulness.  Everyone is worthy of being immersed in the mystery of God’s love.

The Scriptures today are teaching us about the meaning of discipleship.  In what situations of life are you willing to embrace suffering as a means of embracing the cross in your journey of discipleship?   In the big picture, denying yourself and taking the cross is far more than giving up candy during Lent.  It is a complete reordering of our principles and priorities in order to “restart “baptismal commitment.  Turning away from self-centeredness, we embrace other-centeredness and God-centeredness.

            --There is no one we will not forgive.

            --We are committed to share what we have in the service of others.

            --We are simply going to be kind to each person we share life with today.

            --Prayer, our relationship with the Lord, is going to b e a daily part of our DNA.

May we restart our baptismal commitment by seeking to serve, rather than being served, and by our willingness to deny our self so that we can more fully embrace our discipleship of the Lord Jesus Christ.