Who Do YOU Say I Am?

I have today been challenged to consider who I SAY Jesus is. A daunting task. For every time I think I have a conception that is clear, I again realize that he cannot be explained in human terms.

The reflection I offer is from A Catholic Woman's Book of Days by Amy Welborn.

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages
of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked
his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
~Mark 8:17
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Who is Jesus? If we look around, we see lots of different variations on the theme of Jesus. Lots of options.

I often find that the more intense and wild the speculation, the less interest the speculator has in the most reliable sources we have when it comes to the question of who Jesus is: the Scriptures and the life of his church.

Who do I say that he is? An I just curious--or does the answer really matter? Where do I go to get to know the One who love me so?

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Jesus, May I know who you are as I meet you in word and sacrament.

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And so I leave you to speculate, reflect, ponder, pray. Commune with Him who loves you so much! For only you can answer this question satisfactorily for yourself. Only you can know who Jesus is to you. It's personal. It's without definition. It's only me and Jesus and you and Jesus. The glory in this is that the time spent with Him will give us a new perspective each and every time we have this time alone with Him.

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Thanks be to God!!!

Contemplation, The Second Pillar

I find it so terribly hard to be quiet. I don't me to not speak, though for me that is also a true statement. I mean to be in a place where my mind is free of WORDS. The words of shopping-for-groceries, why-didn't-I-read-that-book words, or the resonance of I-can't-do-that. Somehow, I manage, when I try to focus, to compile a list of everything I think I should be doing instead of trying to be quiet and centering on the presence of God within me.

Matthew Kelly asks,

Why do you suppose God called so many shepherds to occupy positions of authority and influence? Perhaps it was because they were out in the middle of God's cosmic temple all day, and in the middle of God's cosmic Classroom of Silence they had plenty of time to think, reflect, ponder, and listen to the voice of God in their lives. (Rediscovering Catholicism, pg 181)

I'm always busy thinking about my life. I can't seem to block it out. I've tried centering prayers, prayers for meditation to start my contemplation or used soft music to settle my mind. I have often thought I have Spiritual ADD (attention deficit disorder). I can't stay prayer-focused.

Matthew says to start with ten minutes a day.

If you are confused, angry, tired, frustrated, happy, excited, grateful...come to the silence...[A]sk yourself, "When will I spend my ten minutes in the Classroom of Silence today?" Don't be deceived by the simplicity of this message. You will be amazed how much ten minutes each day in a quiet church can change your life. (pp. 183-184)

Though I cannot sit each day in a quiet church, I will commit to sitting in a quiet room each day for ten minutes. God is everywhere and ten minutes can be found. I'll find them.

Finally, Matthew said to me in this text,

If we wish to encourage today's saints to emerge, we must simply return one question to our inner dialogue, I call it The Big Question. As far as I can see, it is the ultimate question, the only question.

"God, what do you think I should do?"

Well, there's the rub. Do I really want to know what God thinks I should do? What if it's not what I want to do...Hum! The reason for contemplation. God and Me discussing it!

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