Jesus’ Identity

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, C.M.I.

Lord Jesus, help me prove my identity as your disciple through the way I handle suffering Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is appropriate that we begin this long stretch of Ordinary Time with what is perhaps the central question of Christianity: “Who do you say that I am?” (Lk. 9:18-24). This of course is the question that Jesus poses to his disciples toward the end of his Galilean ministry and just prior to his embarking upon his journey to Jerusalem.

This question posed by Jesus is perhaps best understood within the cultural context of the first century Mediterranean world. The question of identity to ancient Mediterraneans is not the question of identity to contemporary Catholic Christians. We think of personal identity in terms of individuality; ancients think of personal identity in terms of collectivism. Whereas we Catholics have our own personal, individual identity of self, ancients have a much more powerful sense of collective or group identity. What one’s kinship group says about one’s identity is far more important to ancients than most of those in the contemporary Western world realize.

We see this concept of group identity in the second reading (Gal. 3:26-29) when Paul tells the Galatians not to see oneself as a Jew or a Greek, as a slave or a free person, not even as a male or a female; but rather realize that “you all are one in Christ Jesus”.

Ancients would have seen Jesus’ questions to his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” and “Who do you all say that I am?” as logical questions for group-oriented people. For Jesus to understand himself, he would need to know what others think of him. Notice that both the crowds (in identifying Jesus as a prophet) and the disciples (in identifying Jesus as the Christ of God) have come to only a partial sense of Jesus’ true identity. The crowds and the disciples have yet to understand Jesus’ identity in light of his suffering, death and resurrection. While it is true that Jesus is a prophet, he is far more than that. And while it is true that Jesus is Christ of God it cannot be separated or isolated from his passion and resurrection. This is an aspect of Jesus’ identity that the disciples themselves found very difficult to grasp: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Lk. 9:23).

BECOME MY FOLLOWER… “If anyone wants to become my follower, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” If God is calling you, contact Fr. Hansoo Park 416-968-0997 Email vocations@vocations.ca or visit www.vocationstoronto.ca

“I Am Sorry”

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, C.M.I.

Lord Jesus, help me acknowledge my guilt, atone for it and enjoy communion.   Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The three little words “I am sorry“ have an almost incredible potential for transformation. But they often go unsaid, because they seldom roll easily off the human tongue. As a result wounds fester, grudges grow , revenge is plotted, alienation grows. “I am sorry” is a difficult language to master, and fluency comes only to the humble. “I am sorry” chokes in the throat of those who dare to say it because these words say, I am a work in progress, I am in need.

However difficult these words may be to speak and to mean them truthfully, “I am sorry” has the capacity to open up a virtual floodgate of goodness and blessing, because, acknowledgement brings atonement and atonement ends alienation and a new renewed bond can begin to grow again.

The process of moving from acknowledgment to atonement to communion is found in each of today’s readings. The author of 2 Samuel allows us to listen as Nathan, David’s court prophet, functions as a sort of external conscience, laying out before the king the details of his wrongdoing (2 Sam 12:7-10, 13). There is no measure of tack in the prophet’s words. Bluntly, clearly he declares the blessings from God that David enjoyed and, just as bluntly and clearly, Nathan condemned the way the king had conducted himself. To his credit, David is open to the truth about his sinfulness and he repents.

In today’s gospel (Lk 7:36-8:3), two sinners encounter Jesus’ forgiveness. One sinner is open in acknowledging her need and her guilt. Her tears express her sorrow and, as she ministers intimately to Jesus, anointing and kissing the feet, washing and drying them with her hair, her actions reveal her confidence that she has been forgiven.

In contrast to the sorrowful woman is Simon the host; he invited Jesus to his home but not into his heart. His lack of hospitality attests to his unwillingness to admit his need or his guilt. “I am sorry” remains unspoken, and it would seem that Simon has chosen to remain in his sin. If Paul had had the opportunity to speak to Simon and to reason with him as he did with the Christians in Galatia (2nd reading, Gal 2:16, 19-21) he might have told his fellow Pharisee that he could no longer rely on the law of salvation, no matter how scrupulously he observed it. Rather, Paul would say to Simon as he says to us, salvation i.e. justification, is God’s gift to sinners. That gift flows when faith moves the human heart to speak those three little words, “I am sorry”.

Return to Jesus With Repentant Hearts Jesus is always ready to grant forgiveness and pardon to those who sincerely repent. Are you able to help others to believe and return to Jesus with repentant hearts? If God is calling you, contact Fr. Hansoo Park 416-968-0997 Email vocations@vocations.ca or visit www.vocationstoronto.ca

Food For Sinners

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, C.M.I.

Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner; come to my heart and reign in me. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Do this in remembrance of me”. With these words (2nd reading, 1Cor. 11:23-26) and the gift of himself – body and blood in the form of bread and wine – Jesus left another means (besides the Paraclete) by which he would remain always present to his own. He gave himself as real food and real drink, and just as food is a biological necessity for life, so the body and blood of Jesus have become forever necessary for our participation in the life of God and life of the believing community.

In his teachings, Jesus often imaged the kingdom or reign of God in terms of meals. Recall the parables of the wedding feast (Mt 22:1-14; Lk.14:15-24), the ten virgins (Mt. 25:1-13), the faithful servants (Lk. 12:35-48), the locked door (Lk. 13:22-30), the lost son (Lk. 15:11-32) the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31) and the servant (Lk. 17:7-10). All these anticipated the special meals and the gift of himself as Eucharist that we remember and celebrate today. After breaking bread that night with his friends and after being broken in death risen Jesus appeared to his followers amid an ambience of meal sharing. Recall the longer ending of Mark (16:14-18), wherein Jesus is featured as appearing to the eleven while they are eating. Recall, as well, the Emmaus sharing (Lk. 24:13-35), the meal of baked fish in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:36-49) and the grilled breakfast by the sea of Tiberias (Jn. 21:1-13).

Six times within the course of the four Gospels, the evangelists tell us of the open-air meal Jesus provided for the multitudes. Today’s Gospel offers the praying assembly the Lucan version of this meal and renews the challenge of Jesus to his first disciples, “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?” As this question is asked again in our hearing, it reminds all who are fed by Jesus’ most-holy body and blood that the satisfaction of our spiritual and physical hungers by Jesus prepares us and makes us responsible for seeking out, serving and satisfying the hungers of others… as he did. In order to do this we must be willing to return again and again to this holy place where food for sinners is freely given. This holy food, this Eucharist, is not a food we merit. We do not have to become worthy before we share it. Rather, this is a food that makes us worthy, a food that tells us with every taste that God is good, that Jesus loves us beyond all telling and even more importantly, that Jesus remains forever present in our eating and sharing.

Happy are those called to His supper Jesus has given us His Body to eat and His Blood to drink so as to nourish us on our journey towards the Kingdom. May we be faithful to him on our journey as a married, single, ordained or consecrated person. If God is calling you, contact Fr. Hansoo Park 416-968-0997 Email vocations@vocations.ca or visit www.vocationstoronto.ca