REFLECTION OF TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – Yr C (JUNE 23, 2013) “JESUS SAVIOR: “He Is the Pierced One and the Christ of God” ZEC 12:10-11; 13:1; PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; GAL 3:26-29; LK 9:18-24 On this Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we reflect on the Messianic Secret of Christ – i.e, on the notion of Suffering Messiah and it significance to our Christian practice; and consider anew the sacrificial elements of Christ’s saving deeds. He is the one who was terribly rejected and pierced for our sins. But the atrocious sufferings he underwent became a means of healing and salvation for us all. In the Old Testament reading (Zec 12:10-11), Zechariah’s prophecy about the great mourning of “the house of David” for “the one who was pierced” prefigures the repentance and redemptive cleansing from sin that Christ’s sufferings would bring. According to Zechariah’s vision, “they shall look on him whom they have pierced”. Against the backdrop of Zechariah’s vision of “the pierced one”, the paschal destiny of Jesus that is predicted in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Lk 9:18-24) takes on greater meaning. Enlightened by the Easter event, the Christian believers finally perceived that “the pierced one” is Jesus Christ. Indeed, the Christ of God – the Son of Man – must suffer greatly to bring about the salvation of all, Jews and non-Jews alike. In his role as the suffering one, Jesus accomplished redemption and became “a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness”. St Paul in 2nd reading (Gal 3:26-29) underscores the deep implications of being immersed into the paschal destiny of the Suffering Messiah. In entering the baptismal water, we divest ourselves of all false apparel. On leaving the baptismal bath, we clothe ourselves with the true apparel. We put on Christ resulting in the obliteration of false differences such as those based on race, social status and gender. Baptismal incorporation favours deep solidarity based on being infused with the life of Christ and our vocation to participate in his paschal mystery. Do You Thirst For Christ? Who is Jesus to you? Do we trust in the spirit of repentance and forgiveness poured forth by the “pierced one” on the Cross? Do we truly believe in Jesus as “the Christ of God” who redeems us through the way of nonviolence and suffering? Do we truly live the effects of our baptismal consecration? Do we “put on Christ” and allow ourselves to be immersed in his paschal destiny day by day? Have you ever thought about defining discipleship for yourself? How do we truly follow Jesus Christ every day of our lives? Looking into this deeper maybe you and I could put our own profession of faith in writing. Jesus defines discipleship when He says, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Lk 9:23). The seriousness and depth of such self-sacrifice is brought home by the fact that Jesus says these words as He is about to begin His final journey to Jerusalem, and to His own Cross. Jesus certainly found human comfort from the trust and delight He enjoyed from His Father. “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Lk 3:22b). Secure in this exchange of love, He embraced any task, including the tall order of the mission of being “the Christ of God” (Lk 9:20). His true identity, however, is not so clear to the disciples around Him. When Jesus asks His closest friends to define Who He is by asking, “Who do you say that I am” (Lk 9:19)? It is only Peter who responds boldly with the perfect answer, “The Christ of God.” It is only then that Jesus begins to explain to His disciples what His mission as “the Christ of God” is all about. It’s not about being served, having power, or a seat of honour. Rather, it entails suffering, rejection, execution, and only afterwards, great victory! What is our identity? Do we thirst? The Resp Psalm acclaims, “My soul is thirsting for You, O Lord my God” (Ps 63:2b). We will thirst for the Lord and will be satisfied “as with the riches of a banquet” (Ps 63:6). Each of us has a desire for God, a thirsting in our body and in the deepest part of our souls for the waters of life, which alone can bring peace and healing. Running water in the midst of the desert brings light, freshness, and streams of delight to a dry and rocky ground. Lord, may we long for You, trust You, and rest in You always. Jesus is the Christ of God and we, knowing ourselves to be children of God, are called to follow and believe in Him. St. Paul tells us that we come to a deeper understanding of who we are and find our true identity through our identity as baptized Christians, who have been clothed with Christ! Such that there is no form of discriminations, abbreviations, sectionalisation, tribalism, etc. PRAYER: Increase our thirst, Lord, that we may intensify our search for the fountain of life! We Pray that Christian disciples may put on Christ, “the pierced one”, and be dedicated to promoting solidarity. May God give us the grace required to pursue justice, eliminate racism, end human trafficking, protect human rights, seek peace, and avoid the use of force except as a necessary last resort.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 04:11:29 +0000
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