WHO IS JESUS FOR YOU?
Introduction
The prophet Haggai exhorts the Jews after their return from the exile to give everything, even their silver and gold, for the reconstruction of the Temple. Then the living God will be present among them and he will give them peace.
Jesus asks of each of us today not what others say about him but who he is for us and what he means to us presently. The answer he is waiting for has not to consist in long declarations but the living/practical response of our lives.
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
your Son Jesus asks of us today:
“Who am I for you?”
Forgive us our stammering words,
but this we can say with grateful love:
We thank you that you have shown us in him
how good you are and how much you love us.
We thank you that he appeared
in all the frailty of our own humanity,
and that by his death and resurrection
you have brought us forgiveness and life.
Let him be the meaning of our lives,
for he is Jesus our Saviour and our Lord for ever. Amen!
1 Reading: Haggai 2:1-9
In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: Tell this to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people: Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes? But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD, and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak, and take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work! For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts. This is the pact that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, and my spirit continues in your midst; do not fear! For thus says the LORD of hosts: One moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come in, And I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. Mine is the silver and mine the gold, says the LORD of hosts. Greater will be the future glory of this house than the former, says the LORD of hosts; And in this place I will give you peace, says the LORD of hosts!
Responsorial Psalm 43:1, 2, 3, 4
R. (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my saviour and my God.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me. R.
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me? R.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place. R.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God! R.
Alleluia: Mark 10:45
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 9:18-22
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Commentary
The striking profession of faith in Jesus that Peter makes is different than its Matthean counterpart. As is typical of Luke, it occurs while Jesus is at prayer. When Jesus asks the disciples how people are identifying him, their answers are varied: John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets. When asked about his own view, Peter answers, “The Messiah.”
Peter identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah, the one sent from God to deliver his people from further devastation. Peter does not go as far as Matthew in identifying him as the Son of God, but it is still a quantum leap forward. Of course, there were problems with seeing Christ as only the anointed (Christos in Greek). The term could take on too political a sense, seeing Christ as a human liberator sent to deliver an oppressed people. But the truth is that, in a very distinct sense, he was the Messiah of Israel.
Our first reading today continues the hope-filled prophecy of Haggai. He continues to speak of the reconstruction of the temple and assures his people that its future glory will surpass that of the past. But the greatest gift to be given God’s people will be that of peace, a freedom from warfare and hostility, and most especially a harmonious relationship with God.
The day will come when the temple will receive Christ himself, the anointed one, he who is the authentic temple of God, the temple in which God dwells uniquely.
However, let’s end by asking: Do you know Jesus? Who is Jesus for you?
Intercessions
– That the Lord Jesus may be and remain the cornerstone on which our lives are built, we pray:
– That we may keep learning from Jesus to commit ourselves to the service of God and people, without any conditions, we pray:
– That those who see little meaning in life may discover in the Lord Jesus how rich and meaningful life can be, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
with a bit of bread and wine
we celebrate the memory of Jesus your Son,
how he died to give us life
and rose from the dead to bring us hope.
Let him say again here in our midst:
“This is my body for you;
this is my blood poured out for you.”
May he give us the courage
to be each other’s food and drink,
nourishing, uplifting, sharing.
May we thus proclaim with our lives
that we believe in him
and that he is alive in us, your people,
as our Lord for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
we have never had the privilege
of seeing your Son in the flesh
and hearing the tone of his voice.
But he has spoken his word to us here
and given us his flesh to eat.
What more could we ask for?
Let us now be his word
of forgiveness, freedom and joy,
his face that reflects
the sadness and hopes of all people,
his hands extended in friendship.
May we thus grow in the knowledge and hope
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Jesus asks us today: Who am I to you? What do I mean to you? The answer we should give him is not only for religious. Lord, you are everything to us. You are the meaning of our lives. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!