Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - 8/27/23 The Question

Episode Date: August 26, 2023

Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time There are some questions that only you can answer. In the Gospel today, Jesus asks two questions. But there is a third unspoken question that needs to be asked and answered first: Who does Jesus say that He is? This question (and answer) will determine everything for the rest of our lives. Mass Readings from August 27, 2023:Isaiah 22:19-23Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8Romans 11:33-36 Matthew 16:13-20

Welcome to Sunday homilies with me, Father Mike Schmitz. I hope today's homily inspires and motivates you, and I also hope that it leaves you hungry for the one who gave everything to feed you. If you want to get this in other Sunday Mass resources sent straight to your inbox, sign up at ascensionpress.com slash Sunday, or by texting Sunday to 33777.7. You can also follow or subscribe on your podcast app for weekly notifications. God bless.

The Lord be with you. He reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 16 verses 13 through 20. Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, who do people say the son of man is? They replied, some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter said in reply, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus said to him in reply, Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah,

for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. The gospel of the Lord. Wait you to have a seat. So as I mentioned at the beginning of Mass, this is we're back to school, and back to school basically means,

it means we're back to question season. It's one of those things like, you know, because you're meeting much people, right? So it's all about questions. It's every conversation is just like the same, you know this, we know the script. Like, what's your name? Where are you from?

What's your major? Where do you live right now? Like all the questions, which is fine because that's how you get, that's how you get to know someone. We know this. This is just asking questions and letting people have the opportunity.

I mean, in fact, it's not like this is new for us. I mean, your entire life, you've spent answering questions. This last weekend, I was with some of my siblings and they have little kids. And he just introduced some friends to my nephew James.

He's like two or three. And so what did people do? What's your name? My name's James. James, how old are you? I'm two or, I don't know how old is. But, you know, you tell the answer. Or even the crazy thing is before you can even answer, people are like, and this is James,

parents will just answer the questions for you. You know this sometimes happens where the parents just go into parent mode and they're like, this is Christian, he's our oldest, he's 18, he likes this, this, this and this is our next daughter. Her name is Esther, and she's this. And basically, you don't even get a chance to answer for yourself. You don't get a chance to like say what you're all about because your parents are just like, no, listen, I've got this.

No, this is one of my biggest, sorry, I was going to say this is one of my most annoying characteristics, but you'd be sitting there going, that's not your and most annoying one father. One of my many most annoying characteristics is I do this. Whenever I introduce people to other people, I answer all the questions. Like it's like, okay, this is Nate up here in the sanctuary. This is Nate. Nate grew up in Duluth. He has one brother. He grew up at St. Benedict's Parish. He went to LSC for a couple years. He got his bat or whatever they get there, a degree. And right now, he's working as a parent in a school. Like I basically when you get to meet Nate, you're like, Nate, I know everything about you. I don't have any questions for you. Because why? Because I stole all his

answers because I'm the jerk. That's what, because sometimes we do that, right? We answer for other people. Like a week ago, you guys, we have two new focused missionaries on campus, which we were so grateful for. And so we went out to dinner, like the whole focus team, plus Lauren and Heather, myself, and just kind of get to know each other. And at one point, we did like the normal thing, where just introduce yourself to the group. And then that was kind of boring. And so what we decided to do, someone had the great idea. It was a great idea. They said, how about this? How about we're going to talk about, we're going to introduce Gabby. And everyone go around. And everyone go on the circle and tell us one thing you know about Gabby.

So you get to like answer her questions for her, which was, it was really cool, it was really fun. So sometimes it's actually kind of fun to answer someone else's question. But I think that's interesting because there are some questions that aren't like that. You know, there are some questions that someone can't answer for you. There are some questions that only you can answer. So we go back to the gospel today. the gospel. Jesus, you know, they go from Copernum, like right down the Sea of Galilee.

He takes them on a hike 29 miles north to a place called Caesarea Philippi, and when he gets up there, he asks them two questions, right? The two questions Jesus asks are, who do people say that I am? Second question, who do you say that I am? Really important questions. But there is this third unasked question. There's a third unasked question and it's unspoken, but it can't remain unasked and it can't remain unanswered. Jesus asks the question, who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am? But there is a prior question. That's even more important. Who does Jesus say he is? Like we have to, we have to answer this question. Actually, we can't answer it. He's the only one who can answer this question. Other people, us, who does Jesus say he is?

Because you know, the answer they give is like, well, other people say that you're John the Baptist. Other people say that you're Jeremiah, you're one of the prophets. Basically, a lot of people give the answer that our culture gives. Who is Jesus? He's a great teacher. Listen, listen, we like Jesus. He's one of the greats. He's up there with Confucius and Buddha and Zoroaster and Plato and Socrates. He's really, really great. That's wonderful, great answer. Question.

Who does he say that he is? Because Jesus doesn't claim to be one of the greats. He doesn't claim to be a great preacher or a teacher or a healer. He doesn't claim to be a great prophet. Question, who does he say? say that he is. And the answer is, he says that he's God. Like this is, this is really big news. Jesus says that he is like the God. And he says this a bunch of times in the Gospels. Sometimes he says it really, really obviously. And sometimes he says it in a really kind of subtle

way. The really obvious stuff is when Jesus, you know, in John's gospel, he says, before Abraham was, I am. And he takes that name, I am, which is the name of Yahweh. He says, yeah, that's me. other times Jesus says that I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus doesn't say, I'm one of the ways to God. He doesn't say, I can teach you the truth. He doesn't say that, you know, if he come to me, he gets more healthy. He says, I'm the truth. Not just I have revelation.

I'm the way. The only way, in fact, Jesus says, no one comes to the father except through me. He claims to actually be God. You know, I've ever thought about this? Jesus not only does that, he even says that at the end of time, when it comes to judging everyone who's ever lived, that he's going to be the one to do it. And that's not a good teacher.

That's not a great prophet. That is someone who's claiming to be God. Even you guys know this story in the Gospels where Jesus says, if you love your father or your mother, your wife, your siblings, more than me, you're not worthy of me. What is he doing?

He's demonstrating that relationship with him takes precedence over even the most profound relationships that you possibly could have. He is not just saying he's a great teacher, He's saying he's the teacher of all teachers. He's saying he's the God. Even Jesus has claimed to forgive sins. He's claiming to actually be God.

So question, who does he say he is? He says he's God. And this is really important. It's so important for us to understand this because I think a lot of us, maybe not here, but a lot of us in our world, we approach Jesus like he's, again, one among many. That he's really, really holy.

He's really good man. He's really, really wise. In fact, people will say that. They'll say things like, I believe Jesus was a prophet, but not God. Well, they'll say, I believe Jesus was a good man, but he wasn't God. I believe Jesus was holy, but he wasn't God. You know, C.S. Lewis, the guy who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia,

C.S. Lewis, he said, that's the one thing you can't say about Jesus. The one thing you cannot say about Jesus is that he was not God, but he was a good person. Why is because he claimed to be God. And if he wasn't God, there's only two alternatives. If he wasn't God, he wasn't God and he knew he wasn't God, in which case he was lying, or he wasn't God and he didn't know he wasn't God, and he was crazy. If Jesus isn't God, he's not a good person. He's either a liar or he's a lunatic.

So what we have to do is we have to do what C.S. Lewis did. He actually went back into the Gospels and he said, okay, what is the picture of Jesus that the Gospels give us? The people who knew him and walked with him, is it a picture of a liar? Well, we all know, I mean, you all know liars, right? we all know that those people who are like pathological liars, people who would build a whole life around a lie, like a con man, they typically suffer from the same kind of personality disorders. They're narcissistic. They're selfish. They're uncreative. And yet when you see Jesus in the Gospels, you see someone who is the exact opposite, someone who's incredibly creative, someone who

lives for others. I mean, you remember that scene in the Gospels where Jesus is exhausted. and he just says, hey, disciples, let's go away, and let's just go away, let's rest, let's pray, let's take a break. So they do, they get in the boat and they go across the Sea of Gowal, and when they get there, there's this crowd of people waiting for him. No, if Jesus was a narcissist, if he was a liar, if he was just interested in himself, if he was just selfish, he would do what I would do. It's like, keep going, keep going, keep paddling, go.

What does Jesus do? Jesus sees them and his hearts move with pity for them, because it says they're like sheep without a shepherd. this man is the opposite of a narcissist. This man is the opposite of a selfish liar. So, okay, maybe he's not lying. Maybe he's just deceived. Like, maybe he's detached from reality.

You know, it's interesting. The more a person is attached to reality, the saner they are. And the more a person is detached from reality, the more insane they are. So here's an example. If I were to say, right now, I am a priest.

That's accurate, right? That's connected to reality. So it's sane. If I were to say, I am the greatest priest alive. If I really believed that about myself, you'd have to talk with me for like maybe five, ten minutes, and at some point you'd be like, wow, that guy is just not connected to life in any way, shape, or form. If I were even further, if I were to say, not just I'm the greatest priest,

If I were to say, actually, I am Pope Francis. Don't tell anyone. But, oh la, what how tall? And I really believe that was Pope Francis. It would not take you five minutes to realize, okay, this guy's not all there. Even more than that, if I were to say, I don't think I'm Pope Francis, I don't think I'm the most recent Pope. I'm the first Pope.

I really believe that I'm actually Peter. I am the rock. Can you smell what the rock is cooking? But if I were to really, if I really believe that I was the first pope, come back from the dead, It would be obvious pretty quickly that I'm not connected. If I were to say, actually, not just a priest, not just the greatest priest, not just the Pope, I'm actually a butterfly. Let me tell you about my butterfly experiences.

Like it's a whole other level. Jesus, when he comes on the scene and claims to be God, he's not saying that I'm a prophet. He's not even saying he's the greatest prophet. He's not saying I'm Jeremiah or Elijah come back from the dead. And he's not even saying something like, I'm a butterfly. What he says is, I am the source of all. all being. What he says is nothing exists that I didn't make. What he's saying is being a yellow thing in the sky, like I did that. This is what Jesus is claiming. If he really believed that,

it would not take too long for someone to realize if it wasn't true. This person is disconnected from reality and yet every person who met Jesus walked away thinking this person, I've never met a more grounded person, never met a more loving person, never met a more connected to reality person ever. That leaves us with only one remaining option. That option is he's not lying and he's not a lunatic. He is the Lord. That he actually is who he says he is. Of course, that's not automatic. It's not just because someone can get away with it. When Jesus claims to be God, what the people who were living with them asked is what we would ask.

They basically said, okay, go ahead, prove it. You claim to be God, show us. And that's exactly what he does. Remember, it's Mark, chapter 2, it's the scene where they have the four friends and they have the fifth friend who's on the mat, he's paralyzed, right? And they're carrying him to the door and they can't get through the door because the crowd,

so they go up on top of the roof and they do a chip and Joanna Gaines kind of thing and they make a skylight and lower the guy down into the room. And Jesus, looks at the man, looks at the friends, and he says, your sins are forgiven. Remember, claiming to be God. only God can forgive sins. And everyone's like, wait, only God can forgive sins. And Jesus is like, I know, right? But check this out. He says, in order to prove to you that I am who I say I am,

he says to the man, rise, pick up your mat and walk. And he proves it. This is who I am. I mean, it goes on and on. You know, in John's Gospel, when John describes miracles, he doesn't call the miracles. He calls them signs and wonders. Because the signs point to something. The signs point to the fact that Jesus is who he says he is. So think about, you know, in John's gospel talks about the man born blind. Here's a man who's maybe in a 30s, maybe in his 40s. His entire life he's been unable to see. And Jesus comes up to him, spits in some dirt, puts it on his eyes and says, go wash, and the guy can see. And even he says, it has never been heard of that someone born blind can regain their sight.

This person is who he says he is. That dad, who had the 12-year-old daughter. And she was sick and dying. And he says to Jesus, come. my little daughter is sick. He gets there, she's already dead. And so what does Jesus do? He walks to her bedside, takes her by the wrist, and he says two words. He says, Talitha Kum, little girl arise. And this girl that was dead is now alive. Even more. There's Lazarus, right? His friend, who wasn't dead just a few minutes, who wasn't dead just a few hours, who is dead four days. And all Jesus has to do is, is rolled away the stone, and he says three words. He says, Lazarus, come out, and the dead man comes out even greater. The greatest

proof that Jesus is who he says he is, is these friends of his who are with him in this scene, these friends of his who walked with him to Caesarea Philippi, these friends of his who he asked, who did they say that I am, who do you say that I am? They went with him to Jerusalem. And when he was there, he was arrested, and he was tortured, and he was crucified, and he died. And these are the people that took his body off the cross. These are the people that wrapped his body in a linen shroud. These are the people who took that dead body and put it in the tomb. And these are the people who three days later, they saw their best friend who was dead, they saw him alive. And the most amazing thing is this is the crazy thing, is Jesus proves that he is what he says

he is. Why? Because every one of these men who said they saw him dead and they saw him rise again, you know what they got for it? You all know this? What did they get? They didn't get wealthy. They didn't get famous. They didn't become powerful. Every one of these people who said, I saw him dead and then I saw him alive, he appeared to me for over 40 days before he ascended to heaven. Every one of them got tortured for something. saying this. Every one of them was hated for saying this. All of them, except for one, except for John the beloved, every one of them was killed for saying this. This summer I was talking with a young man who's about college age about this exact thing. And he said, you know, Father,

he said, there are many people who will die for what they believe in, which is true. Then he said, but no one will die for what they know is a lie. Many people will die for what they believe in. these men said they saw him dead and saw him rise. No one will die. For what they know is a lie. And they did it. Why? Because they knew it was the truth that Jesus is who he says he is. Jesus is actually God. And then today's gospel, what does Jesus do?

He says, okay, Peter, I'll rename you, you're the rock. And upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That's when Jesus. In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus founds the Catholic. Church. Here's the crazy thing. We know that this is true. Jesus is God and God himself started the Catholic Church and he promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. And this is what we believe. That he is who he says he is. And that this is what we believe is Catholic. I'll tell you this. This is what I believe. If you were to ask me, who do you say Jesus is? I would say that Jesus is

God and he founded the Catholic Church and he promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Catholic Church. That is what, that's who I say Jesus is. But here's the question. that's the question only I can answer for myself. There are some questions that only you can answer. There's some questions that no one else can answer for you. And it's the question that Jesus asks every one of us tonight. He makes it really personal. He's not concerned with what people out there say.

He's not concerned with what does the church say. Tonight Jesus says all these things, okay, here's who I say I am. Who do you say I am? This is so personal. and it has the capacity, has the potential to change our entire lives. We have to give an answer. And we give an answer with our voice, what we say, and we give our answer with our choices, what we do.

I mean, we're actually, the crazy thing is we're kind of giving our answer right now. Like right here, right now, we're kind of giving our answer. A bunch of years ago, not too long, but a bunch of years ago, there was a young woman who came up. She was a freshman. Her name is Megan. Megan came to campus, and we did all the freshman outreach things, and like from day one, the day that Megan got on campus, she was connected with Newman.

And like she went to all of her stuff, like went to all the fun things, and I got to know her. She seemed like she was really getting plugged in. And, you know, Sunday morning, like today, she showed up and the next four years of her life, she was in a Bible study, then she led a Bible study. She helped so many, so many young women

and men does get to know who Jesus is. Incredible, incredible woman. The spring semester of her senior year, she asked if we could go for a little walk her on campus. Like, yeah, of course, let's walk and have a talk. She said, hey, you remember, remember that first weekend when I was a freshman on campus?

And I was like, yeah, I absolutely do, because I saw you everywhere and you were there. She said, what I never told you is that on Saturday night before Mass on Sunday morning, she said, I went to bed and I said, okay, if I get up in time for confession before Mass, then I'll go to Mass. If I make it in time for confession, then I'll go to Mass.

But she said, if I don't get up in time for confession, then I'll go to Mass. But she said, if I don't get up in time, time for confession, I'm not going to go to Mass. And if I don't go to Mass, I think I'm just going to take off being Catholic for the next four years. I remember when she said this to me as a walk and I was like, my stomach just dropped. And I got the chills and I was just like, I wanted to throw up you guys.

I was like, are you serious? Like that's how close you were. Like that's, that's, like on this razor's edge, like this, just a hair's breath of like, from just, saying I'm done. One decision. I'm so great. I was just like, oh my gosh, I was just like, God, thank you so much for bringing her there. Because the power of one decision, though, so she showed up and I'll tell you all the great things that God did through her, but also all the great things God did for her. It was in this community that she met her husband. It was in this community that she

found her vocation in life. It's through this community that she found the mission God had placed in her heart to take care of pregnant moms. It was in this community that she found the man, her husband, who's also the father of her children. She could look at her life right now and realize so many, almost every good thing in her life right now, can be traced to that decision. And it seems like such a small decision, right?

Just this one choice to show up. I think about that. One choice to just, I'm going to show up. I'm going to go to master. I'm going to go to confession. I think sometimes you look at choices like that and we think that's too small. won't make a difference.

You know how in some of those like science fictionity type stories or movies when they go back in time? You know, they're like, what's the one, what's the number one rule of time travel? Like when you go back in time? Don't change anything. Right? Like, don't change anything because if you changed even the smallest thing in the past, it can completely rewrite the future. Like you've changed one thing and all of a sudden, you know, Hitler wins or something like that.

Like something horrible. And so that's incredible. I was thinking about this and thinking how remarkable it is that we give that much power, to the choices of our past. Don't even change a small thing because it could have radical consequences, but we don't give that much power to the choices of our present.

To realize that your choice to be here right now actually matters. Your choice to be here in this church that actually makes a difference. It is rewriting or it is writing your entire future. Small choices have the opportunity

have the potential, the capacity to do that. So here's the last thing. This is the short thing. I'm going to invite you to do another small thing. Some point this week, maybe even tonight, if you have the chance. There's no homework yet. I know this already. Some point this week.

To answer the question only you can answer. Some point this week to sit down, whether it's on the notes on your phone, or whether it's like paper and pen, to answer the question, who do you say that Jesus is? And they actually have an answer. Who is not someone else's answer.

What is your answer? He's my Savior. He's the Messiah. He is the son of God. He is God. He knows my name. He's my friend. Jesus is the one who carried my shame.

Jesus is a stranger. Your answer might be, I don't know. I don't know who he is. Your answer could be, I don't care. But that's my invitation. This week, take the time, write it down. Who do you say that he is? No one can do this for you.

This is a question that you've been asked. And this is a question that only you can answer.