Homily from Canon Stephen Baillie
We are very grateful to Canon Baillie for continuing to provide his Homily.
Who do you say I am?
Peter gets it right in today’s Gospel and Jesus calls him ‘blessed’, that is, he is a person who brings a great gift and who brings that gift to others. Already in the community that Matthew is writing for, the community of Jesus’ followers are gathering as ‘church’. Peter is seen as Jesus’ successor and future leader for that community.
We already know and realise the importance of creating that sense of community – the joy of celebrating a wedding, but sadly with only 20 people present. For a funeral – the pain at the death of someone close to us, but not being able to express and be present at Mass, in a Church. And now as we approach the Sacraments for the children making their First Holy Communion and Confirmation over the next few weeks. I am very keen that this Sacrament be celebrated as soon as possible, so that the P5’s can be feed with the Eucharist – the Body of Christ. And our P7’s can be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to guide them in the future weeks and months ahead. I am fully aware that this will cause a lot of disappointment for the parish, families and schools. While I acknowledge that this is not the perfect way to mark our Sacraments. I am sure you will agree that it is most important that the children are nourished with the Body of Christ and be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, even if the circumstances do not allow for the full participation of everyone.
But as a Community, it is hoped that our Parish will be able to celebrate, in a meaningful manner, the achievement of the children receiving the Eucharist and Confirmation, at some time in the future when our churches can return to normal capacity.
Jesus is a very different Messiah to the one the Jews expected. It is understandable that he would order the disciples to keep quiet. The people of his time wanted a leader who would lead them in a military revolt against the Romans, who would be a great king.
Jesus’ mission involves a very different focus, reaching out to the outcast, those on the margins, a radical love. His actions will speak for who he is. It is for each of us to make up our own minds as to who Jesus is. Peter is quite clear and sincere in his declaration; however, as we will see later, Peter did not understand fully what the journey of Jesus would entail. Peter commits himself but it is a reminder that we must always leave room for growth in the understanding of our commitments.
A question to focus on today might be:
‘Who do you say that Jesus is?
What is Jesus for you, today, in your life at this precise moment?
