Who is Jesus?

The liturgy of the day places before us important insights and questions regarding our faith. Who is Jesus? Who is he for you and me personally? And what does it mean to be a person of Faith? are a few questions that emerge from days readings.

The first reading of the day is taken from the prophet Isaiah, from chapter 50. This part of the book was written when Israel was in the Babylonian exile. This was a time when Israel had lost their land, their temple and their own identity as a people. In the midst of hopelessness and despair, there is the voice of a believer who dares to hope; A believer who has accepted his present status without rebelling and yet believes that the Lord has not let him down and that the Lord will help him. This implies that the Lord will liberate him from the bondage and the history stands as a witness that the Israel was not abandoned. The oppressor was defeated and the Lord restored Israel.

The God we believe in is a God who is faithful, a God who cares for you and me.

The reading that we read today is part of the song of suffering servant and is often compared with Jesus at the passion and death. His obedience to God at the face of suffering and death, his humility to be treated inhumanly although he is the son of the Most high God and his surrender to God, to say, “Not my will but thy will be done” stand as an example to us all.

The Gospel of the day deal with the question of Jesus’ identity. An overview of the gospel of Mark makes it clear that in the first 8 chapters the often emerging question is the identity of Jesus and faith in him and the last 8 chapters deal with the Messianic works of Jesus / healing the sick, driving out demons and assuring hope to the hopeless. In one of the greatest profession of Faith, Peter proclaims that Jesus us the Messiah. The gospel also makes it clear that to be the follower of the Messiah, to be a follower of Jesus means also to embrace the cross that comes along with it. There is no glory without the cross.

As I read this passage I am reminded of a  Spanish Basque Jesuit who served as the 28 Superior General, P. Pedro Arrupe. He was working as the Novice Director placed outside Hiroshima during the Bombing of Hiroshima. He was one of the first who actively involved in consoling the broken heard, treating the injured and administering sacraments tot eh dying. He narrates an incident of a young girl who was dying, just waiting to receive the communion, to receive Jesus.

Years later, when he was the superior General of the society of Jesus, in an interview, the interviewer spontaneously asked him, „Who is Jesus for you?” and P. Arrupe said “ Jesus is everything for me” he further said “ take Jesus Christ out of my life, and this will collapse as a body deprived of a skeleton, without head and heart”. His response true and was fully evident by the way he lived. He lived his faith, in his daily life by responding creatively and daringly to the challenges around him.

The second reading of the day is taken from the letter to the James. It answers the important question, Is faith alone enough for salvation as St Paul says? According to St Paul salvation is a free gift of God, when one has faith. But  the letter to James states in clear words that our faith needs to be lived, practiced in daily life. Faith  is not a passive but it is living and dynamic and one needs to express his faith through good acts.

To summarize, the first reading presents us of a believer who doesn’t lose hope amidst despair, knowing that the God he believes in is faithful. The gospel provokes us to ask, who is Jesus for me personally and its demands and the second reading makes it clear the faith that we have needs to be lived I and through our lives.

Let me close this reflection with a little story. There was a village and in that village there was a little forest. One evening there was fire in the forest and everyone ran to save their own lives except the little bird. This little bird was carrying drops of water in its little beak and was pouring on the fire. Someone stopped the bird and asked what a foolish thing are you doing? Do you think with these drops of water you can quench this fire? The bird replied, I do not know whether I can with these drops of water put of the fire or not? But the very purpose of my creation is to put off the fire and promote life.

 I believe to be a follower of Christ, to be a person of faith means to be a life giver wherever one is.

Let us for the grace during this Eucharist to live our faith in our daily lives. Let us continue to ask ourselves, “Who is Jesus for me personally?”