12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Zechariah 12:10-11,13:1 | Psalm 62:2-6,8-9 | Galatians 3:26-29 | Luke 9:18-24
The central question in today’s Gospel, how everyone perceives Jesus, is just as appropriate when directed at ourselves. Who do people say I am…behind my back?
The answers can be quite troubling. There was a dark period during my college days, for instance, when I was described as a self-centered homeless jerk. (That hurt a lot, but it was also a much-needed wake-up call.)
I think the answers also point to our destiny in the afterlife. If it’s “you can go to hell for all they care”, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where we’re headed.
If it’s “who’s he?”, that’s probably not good either. Christ has called us to touch others’ lives with the love that he shared in toto with us, not to “light a lamp to put it under a tub” (Matthew 5:15) or “hide our talent in the ground” (Matthew 25:25).
In the end, we should strive to be worthy of “a good man”, “an angel in disguise”, “a true Christian”.
Amen.