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The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Knights of Columbus Fr. Joseph 10 Anniversary of Ordination To The Priesthood
The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Knights of Columbus Fr. Joseph 10 Anniversary of Ordination To The Priesthood
The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Knights of Columbus Fr. Joseph 10 Anniversary of Ordination To The Priesthood
Ordinary Time
This deepest of human desires is something that even Jesus experienced. As
fleshandbloodjustlikeus,hewantedtobeknownforwhohereallywas.And
wellheknewthatunlesshewereknown,hecouldnevertrulybeloved.Inthe
gospel passage we hear today, this very theme comes to the fore as St. Luke
writes,OncewhenJesuswasprayingalone,withonlythedisciplesnearhim,he
asked them, Who do the crowds say that I am? Then he said to the disciples,
Who do you say that I am?(Luke 9:18, 20) Of course, we know from the
response that it was only Peter who really knew the identity of Jesus.
Consequently,itwasonlyPeterwhohadagenuinecapacitytoloveJesus.Considerwhen,laterinthegospels,Jesus
thriceputsthequestiontoPeter,Doyouloveme?AndthricePeterconfesseshislove,thoughweknow,too,that
Peterstruggledinhisdesiretolovethismanwhomsomanyothersmisunderstood.
Buttheresanevendeeperquestionofidentitythatmustbeasked.Itsthequestionthateverypersonstrugglesto
answerduringthejourneyfrombirthtograve.Thequestionisthis:DoIknowwhoIam?Indeed,selfdefinition
will admit of many responses at different periods in our lives, with the goal of adulthood an integration of the
manyanswersaccumulatedovertheyears.For,intruth,unlessIcanfirstcometoknowandlovemyself,Idonot
havethecapacitytoloveanother.
Spiritual activist and author Marianne Williamson has written of this lifelong struggle to arrive at the self
knowledge that opens the door to a capacity for the love that expresses itself in service to others. She writes:
Ourdeepestfearisnotthatweareinadequate.Ourdeepestfearisthatwearepowerfulbeyondmeasure.Itisour
light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous?Actually,who areyou not tobe? You areachildof God.Yourplayingsmalldoesnotservetheworld.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all
meanttoshine,aschildrendo.WewereborntomakemanifestthegloryofGodthatiswithinus.Itisnotjustin
someofus;itisineveryone.Andasweletourownlightshine,weunconsciouslygiveotherpeoplepermissionto
dothesame.Asweareliberatedfromourownfear,ourpresenceautomaticallyliberatesothers.
Eventhisdayweputtoourselvestheeternalquestion,WhoamI?Andwhilewewrestlewiththeanswer,wecan
hearJesusposingyetanotherquestion,DoyouknowwhoIam?Toughquestions,surely!Butwerepersistent.
Wesittherelongafterothershavegivenupthestruggletofindtheanswer.Finally,anhourlaterweapproachhis
desk,testbookletinhand,andstuffourlaborsintothepilealreadythere.Hisgentlefacelooksup,oureyesmeet.
Inthatmomentawarmthsuffusesdeepwithin.Weknowinaninstantitswhatwevewaitedalifetimefor.