Today’s Gospel is so rich in
meaning that it presents several themes that we could use for our reflection.
The location in which it took place, which is Caesarea Philippi, alone can be
the topic for much discussion; then there was the theme of Peter’s profession
of faith, the Christological question: “Who do they/you say that I am?” And of
course, there is the theme of the cost of discipleship which will be the central topic I
wish to reflect upon this Sunday.
“Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
The standard set by Christ seems
quite clear.
How are we to apply it into our
daily life?
In the time past, whenever I gave talks
to young people, I often encouraged them to be proud of their Catholic
identity. I told them to courageously live their faith in spite of what other
people think of them and say about them. All these advices are sound and right,
for indeed that is what we should do. The only problem was that I had made it
sound so easy. I had told those young people to do something that I myself was
never challenged to do.
Growing up in a Catholic family, in
a relatively Catholic friendly neighborhood where you could find a Catholic
Church every other mile, my faith was never challenged. Right after high
school, I joined the seminary, and thus my entire college experience was also confined
into a quite Catholic environment. So, this young, idealistic seminarian truly didn’t
have a clue when he told his fellow peers to live their faith courageously and
proudly in their respective environment.
So, naturally, the Lord found a way
for me to learn a valuable lesson of what it entailed to be a follower of
Christ – to be called Christian.
This summer, I was sent to study in
D.C. For the first time, I was placed in a secular University in a city where
Godly values seem more and more undermined. I finally understood what it felt
like when people kept distance from you, ridiculed you, ignored you, looked
down on you, and even being hostile towards you for your faith values as well
as your Catholic identity (much more so once they found out that you’re
studying for the Priesthood).
Admitted I was quite dejected because
many of these young people whom I have always been eager to serve had shunted me
as if I had contracted some deadly decease. At the same time, I grew a deeper
appreciation for those Catholic youth who have been so strong in their identity
as Christians and who have no fear practicing their faith in the midst of a
culture, an environment where God had been seemingly forgotten.
More than anything else, I learned a
lesson of humility, and because of such an experience, I am able to find in
this Sunday’s Gospel a much deeper understanding.
“The
Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and be killed…”
“Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
The verb “follow” (Greek: Akoloutheo)
does not only refer to “follow one who precedes” but also “join in as an
attendant” and to “accompany.” Therefore, Christ’s invitation for those who
seek to follow him is not only to walk
behind him, but to work with him. What he suffered, his followers should expect to suffer; the
bitter cup he drank, his followers should expect to drink; the shameful death
he endured, his followers should expect to endure in their own manners. However,
it also means that the glory that he is in will be the reward of those who hold
fast to the end.
Throughout the
Church’s history, countless men and women have taken up this challenge. For
instance, early Christians, for Christ’s sake, were accused of practicing
cannibalism, incest, atheism, etc. They endured painful and horrid deaths:
Peter was crucified upside down, Bartholomew was skinned alive, Paul was
beheaded, Ignatius of Antioch was devoured by wild beasts, and many, many more
who had met the same fate.
In this modern
age, one would think a “respect” for religion should be somewhat respected.
Alas, no. Christians are still persecuted in every corner of the world. We are
still despised, misunderstood, imprisoned, and martyred for our faith in Christ
Jesus and for standing up for what is right, for human dignity, for religious freedom,
for justice, and for the Common Good. So much so that recent, Cardinal Francis
George, Archbishop of Chicago, made a striking prediction, “I will die in bed,
my successor will die in prison and his successor will die martyred in the
public square.”
Modern
martyrdom is still happening every single day in our world. Christ’s words
still echo strongly to each and every single one of us, “Whoever wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and
follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save.”
And just to
conclude with a story,
Robert Mansfield was a white man in
South Africa and the headmaster of an all white school who took his students to
play cricket and hockey against the black schools. That is, until the
department of education forbade him to do it anymore. So he resigned in
protest. Shortly after, Emmanuel Nene, a leader in the black community, came to
meet him. He said, “I’ve come to see a man who resigns his job because he
doesn’t wish to obey an order that will prevent children from playing with one
another.”
“I
resigned because I think it is time to go out and fight everything that
separates people from one another. Do I look like a knight in shining armor?”
“Yes,
you look like a knight in shining armor, but you are going to get wounded. Do
you know that?”
“I
expect that may happen,” Mansfield replied.
“Well,”
Nene said, “you expect correctly. People don’t like what you are doing, but I
am thinking of joining with you in the battle.”
“You’re
going to wear the shining armor, too?” Mansfield asked.
“Yes,
and I’m going to get wounded, too. Not only by the government, but also by my
own people as well.”
“Aren’t
you worried about the wounds?”
“I
don’t worry about the wounds. When I go up there, which is my intention, the
Big Judge will say to me, ‘Where are your wounds?’ and if I say, ‘I haven’t
any,’ he will say, ‘Was there nothing to fight for?’ I couldn’t face that
question.”
Being a Christian
today is not much different from being a knight in the shining armor. We are
expected to fight, fight for our King – Jesus Christ, fight for our values,
truths and beliefs, fight in solidarity with the suffering and the oppressed.
We are going to get wounded, rejected, misunderstood, and persecuted.
It is really our
choice to take up on Christ’s demand of discipleship.
The question
is, if one day, we stand before our Judge, scar-freed, and he simply asks,
“Was there
nothing to fight for?”
What are we going to
tell him?
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