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.”
