I KNOW WHO YOU ARE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “I Know Who You Are?”

The man in today’s gospel from Luke 4: 31-37, the man with the demons, meets Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum and announces, “I know who you are!”

In Mark’s gospel the man in the synagogue in Capernaum is described as having demons - as well as convulsions.

I think one point is: the scribes and the Pharisees don’t get who Jesus is, but the demonized, the crazy, the poor, the sick, the unimportant people, the outsiders, they know who Jesus is.

Obviously a point I’d like to make in this homily is to ask, “Do I know Jesus? Can I say, ‘I know who Jesus is?’”

QUESTION

Stepping back a bit, can I ask, “Do I really know any other person?”

Hopefully married couples know each other.

And parents know their kids somewhat, but ….

DADDY

Two or three years ago my sister Mary was going through, sorting and tossing out old family papers.  And she found a newspaper clipping of an obituary of my father’s brother who fell off a building working construction in Pittsburgh.  Talking we figured that my dad, still single had to take a train from Manhattan, New York where he was living, to Pittsburgh, get his brother Willy’s body, and take it to Portland, Maine for burial.

Thinking about that, I said to myself, “What was my father thinking having to deal with all that?”

Thinking about that I wish I had known that.  I would have loved to know what my dad was thinking and feeling. My dad was absosultely quiet and I have to admit I didn’t know him.

I once went by bus with him from the Port Authority Bus Station to Portland Maiine. I still don’t know him - after that long time. And my dad is long dead 1970.

OBITUARY

I’m asking and addressing the question in this homily: “Do I know other people?”

I once did obituaries for our province newsletter.  Someone would die and I’d call around to get information.  Sort by accident I found out that a guy named Ed Jackson knew guys much better than anyone else. I would write up the obituary and guys would say, “Wow, Andy you really knew so and so.” I’d say, “No, I didn’t but Ed Jackson did and he wasn’t even stationed with the guy who died.”

So I guess some people know people better than other people.

BACK TO JESUS

So I’d assume that some people know Jesus better than a lot of other people.

Talk to them.

I’d assume that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did a lot of research on who Jesus was and they certainly help us to know him better. And I’d assume that each of the 4 gave their take.

I like the Myers Briggs test- and I like to think that Matthew was head, Luke Heart, Mark Hand- practical - no talk, more action and John was the dreamer, the imaginer.  So each gave their take on Jesus.

I assume this is why we come to Mass - to be with Jesus - to hear him in the gospels, to eat with him and him, and get to know him.

CONCLUSION

So can we say,  “I know who you are Jesus Christ.”