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Greetings, SBT Readers:
Last week's heatwave across the United States was just another reminder of the global catastrophe which is unfolding day by day. Even as recovery of the dead continued in Maui, temperatures continued to rise. Here, in the Chicago area, Thursday reached a heat index of 115 F (46 C); looking out of my study windows at the beautiful woods abutting our property, I found myself praying that nothing would ignite a fire. In my imagination, trees that had previously added beauty and shade suddenly became a threat as I thought of all the wildfires raging out of control not only in North America but on other continents as well. Floods and hurricanes, of course, are also part of the picture and anyone living near waterways, or on coastlands, or near forested areas is at risk. In the comfort of my air conditioned home, I pondered how anyone could deny climate change and its terrible consequences; meanwhile, many migrants who had been bussed from Texas to Chicago found themselves out on the sweltering streets without shelter or resources. Here, my imagination fails me....
REMINDER
Entitled Lazarus and the Rich Man: Archetypes of Agony and Entitlement, my presentation at the Parliament of the World's Religions explored the connection between environmental catastrophe and the "cloning" of the Lazaruses of this world. Using the backdrop of The Global Ethic and Pope Francis' Laudato Si', I invited participants to see their own patterns of entitlement and to consider more sustainable life choices. I will be sharing my thoughts/ PowerPoint via a Zoom presentation on Friday, September 1st, at 10:00 a.m., CST/ 11:00 a.m. EST. If you are interested, please send me an email or contact me via my website, www.elizabeth-annestewart.com, before August 29th so I can send you the link. Of course, there is no charge, and wherever you are in the world, you would be welcome to join me.
Many Blessings!
Elizabeth
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Link to the Sunday Readings
Jesus entered the region of Caesarea Philippi and
asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that 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 responded,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said,
"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 hell shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of 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 not to tell anyone
he was the Christ.
Mt 16:13-20
There was more than curiosity behind Jesus' question. He knew full-well what people were saying about him: for some, he was a prophet or the reincarnation of John the Baptist; for others, he was a blasphemer, a madman, one possessed by Beelzebub; and for some of his disciples, he was a ticket to glory, wealth and power -- the leader who would overthrow the Roman occupiers and be crowned in Herod's stead. In reality, he was not particularly interested in what the people thought of him; what counted was what his disciples believed. After all, they had journeyed with him, listening to his teachings, observing his miracles, noting his interactions with people from every social strata. "But who do you say that I am?" he asked, giving his friends the opportunity to reflect on all they had seen and heard. And Peter, with typical spontaneity, responded with a statement of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). This is clearly the answer for which Jesus was waiting: he not only blessed Peter, but also accorded him the preeminent position among his companions, naming him as "rock" and giving him the symbolic keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
The question Jesus posed to his disciples more than 2,000 years ago, is the same question he poses to each of us. He knows there are those who simply revere him as a teacher and also that there are those who have walked away not only from the church but also from him; then there are the faithful who still proclaim him as Kyrios as Peter did. "But who do you say that I am?" This question challenges us to move beyond catechism definitions and beyond what we have been taught on our journeys of faith; rather, it invites us to reflect on our own direct experience and to see where and how he has been present in each of our sacred stories.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for Christians is to move beyond what we know of the Gospel Jesus to embrace the Cosmic Christ, the One who has transcended all human limitations to become the Lord of the Universe. Many of our devotions focus on events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth; our liturgical seasons, in fact, emphasize his coming into this world (Advent), his Birth (Christmas), his ministry (Lent) and his suffering and death (Holy Week). Of course, Advent also has an eschatological dimension -- our preparation for the Second Coming-- but we tend to give this lip service rather than our full attention. The Easter season, in contrast, is where we do have the opportunity to focus on the infinite mystery of the Resurrection and its implications for the universe; however, it is the post-Resurrection narratives that tend to shape our consciousness -- Jesus' appearance on the Road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35), for example, or his appearance to the seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberius (Jn 21:1-14). These beautiful stories reinforce our belief in the Resurrection, but we don't necessarily see their implications for the life of faith. Instead of experiencing their mystical dimension, we approach these stories literally, remembering the "facts" rather than seeing them as portals into a new way of encountering Jesus.
So back to the question, "But who do you say that I am?" For many, Jesus is brother, friend, teacher, healer, companion, comforter and guide -- and he is all of these things. But he is also the ground of our being; the deepest dimension of who we are; the fullness of creation; the One who seeks us and calls us by name; the One who longs for us, desires us, and invites us into intimacy; the One who knows us infinitely and loves us just the same; the One who names each of us as "Beloved".... The Gospel stories warm our hearts and stir our faith, but the deeper encounters with the Living Christ happen when we open ourselves to a different kind of consciousness -- an awareness of his Presence that is at once both personal and cosmic. With St. Paul, we can experience him as the "image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" in whom "all things were created through him and for him" (Col 2:1-20). He is the infinite Mystery that is above us, beneath us, to the side of us, and around us that never ceases to invite us to be in union with him and to lose ourselves in his embrace....
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