Homily For Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 15th September, 2024

 

Readings: Is.50:5-9; Ps.116; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND CONVICTION ABOUT JESUS?

 

Oftentimes, we hear people talking about their favourite celebrities and mentors. How we follow them in all their social media platforms. we some time claim to know everything about them. We talk about them and defend them more than they can ever imagined. And sometimes we claim to know them even more than they know themselves. Among this group are sycophants and hypocrite who follow because of what they will gain and not because of what one truly represent. So it becomes a problem to know those who really follow you because of what you represent and not for selfish gains.

 

To deal with this kind of situation Jesus asked his disciples and in deed all Christians, some fundamental questions as we have them in our Gospel passage today when he said: Who do people say I am? When they have answered he asked them the second question saying: Who do you say I am? Jesus addresses this question to all his disciples. The people are free to believe whatever they want about Jesus, but his disciples should know better. He has been carefully preparing his disciples to carry on his work. They have heard his teachings and witnessed his miracles. What they think of him should be more critical.

 

Thus, St. Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again, just as we heard in our first reading through prophet Isaiah. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to rebuke him. But, Jesus rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s. And said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.

 

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal conviction about the personality of Jesus. He did not have to quote any authority, because his response was a clear and sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. That is why, Jesus in  Gospels according to Matthew 16:17 says: that Peter's faith is a gift from the Father when he said: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

 

This is because Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal response about who Jesus is, even though he does not want to associate with the suffering aspect of the life of Jesus, and that was why Jesus rebuked that spirit of fear in him.. Thus, our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question: who do you say I am? For it is not enough to quote the teachings and Catechism of the Church about our faith or the teachings of other theologians and preachers or to respond only from the head but from the heart that is convinced of what it believes on and is really ready to embrace the will of God.

 

Therefore, how we answer this question of Jesus should also be critical, since to be a Christian means showing by our way of life that we belief in Jesus and his teaching. But this is not always the case for there are people who are sycophants and hypocrite Christians who cause division in the Church because they follow Jesus for the sake of what they want to gain from him and not for what he represent. So, the division in the Church is not caused by the words of Jesus rather, it is caused by selfishness and pride in  people who wished to use the name of Jesus to achieve their selfish desires.

 

So, today most people are following Jesus without knowing who Jesus truly represents. Some people find it very difficult to embrace the teaching of Jesus because they lack the faith and conviction about his personality, even when Jesus has revealed himself to us through his great miracles and teachings.

 

The fact is that, Jesus wants us to develop a divine way of looking at things, he wants us to know him deep down our soul, so that we can truly profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. Little wonder St James in our second reading tells us to show our faith by practical actions of good works, since faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

 

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: who is Jesus to you? What is your personal experience and conviction about Jesus? When was you spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people told us of him? How has your knowledge of Jesus help other people to come to faith in Jesus. In case you have not personally experience him, all you need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in your life and you will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to you.

 

So, today we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are with regards to our faith as Christians. We are called today to develop a divine way of understanding the mysteries of God, but not rejecting them because we do not understand them. We are also called to be convinced of who we are and the need to truly unite together in God and His Church entrusted to St. Peter of which the get of underworld shall not prevail against it. Therefore, let us turn towards God once again with all our hearts and devote our whole lives in seeking to know Him more and more.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you revealed to St. Peter the true identity of Jesus your Son, help us to profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. And as we experience the power of your presence, may we embrace more deeply your sacred mysteries. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday.