24th sunday-B

24th Sunday in year B 

I met with some of my friends from Montreal and they said, “Father, do you speak French? And I said, “Sorry, I don’t make mistakes and they thought that was funny and paid my lunch and then I said, “I am a very serious person”. 

Once a man tried his best to find a job, but nothing happened and then finally he got a job in a local zoo. All he had to do was just dress like a monkey and entertain people. At the beginning, he could not do the job well but then he began to really entertain people jumping up and down, rolling over and screaming and all monkey stuff. One day, as he was jumping, he fell into the lion’s cage, he knew he was going to die. So, he began to scream and cry saying, “Please, lion, don’t kill me. Please let me go”. The lion then came closer to him and said, “Don’t scream, you stupid, we both are going to lose our job”. 

 Once a woman came to her priest and said, “Father, you know my husband has a heart condition and he should not anything shocking and very surprising. He won two million dollars last night and would you please him? The priest said, “I don’t mind at all and bring him here”. The man came, and the priest looked at him and said, “if you win a million dollars what would you do?” The man said, “I would to buy a big house and travel and help my children’. That is fine and what if you win two million dollars? The man said, “I promise that I will give million dollars to the church. Imaging what happened? The priest took a heart attack and died. 

Dear friends in Christ Jesus, 

Our Lord Jesus Christ at whose name every knee in heaven and on earth and under the earth bow and who is the only way, the truth and the life. Everything was created in Him and through Him and only for Him. It’s because of Him and Him alone we live, move and find meaning in our life. The heaven and earth began to rejoice at His birth and the wise men who came to Bethlehem said, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews and thus when they found Him offered Him gold, frankincense and myrrh”. At the age of twelve as Christ was at the temple in Jerusalem talking about God the Father, the rabbi and the elders praised His wisdom and knowledge and glorified God.  

As Christ went His home town Nazareth and proclaimed the Good News, they all praised God saying, “What a wonderful man is He, with divine authority and power He speaks”. As He was in Capernaum at synagogue, the ancient serpent and the fallen angels recognized Him saying, “We know who you are, you are the Holy One of God and are you here to torture us...” 

Thus, in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Capernaum and in and around Judea and all other Jewish towns and villages, the Pharisees and Scribes, the leaders and elders and others came to know who Christ was.  

Now Christ Jesus is in a non-Jewish region and after preaching and teaching and performing His miracles and wonders, He asked His disciples about what people think about Him. The people in Caesarea Phillipi were also amazed at His divine power and authority saying, “He is Elijah, Elisha, Jeramiah, John the Baptist or one of the prophets and so on”. 

Then Christ who chose the twelve to be with Him asked this crucial question. “Who do you say that I am?’ Christ doesn’t need human approval of His identity. The clarity is only for us to get closer to Him every day. This is for our pilgrim journey and spiritual growth. 

Once Charles Lamb the famous British essayist said that the difference between William Shakes pear and Jesus Christ is, If Shakespeare walked into this room right now, we would all get up to greet him, but if Christ came in, we would all fall down and worship”. It’s because all men are mortal, but Christ is immortal, and He is God. 

So, when Christ asked what the apostles think about Him, Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Only Son of God”. Then Christ asked revealed to them His Messianic secret of how the Son of Man would die for humanity and rise again. And then He asked them to carry their cross daily and follow Him. 

Yes, as we proclaim and glorify Christ as the Son of God, let us follow Him taking up our cross daily. It's because it’s not we who carry them but He who died for us and He who won death for us will be with us to glorify us and give us life. Amen.