Fr. Bob - Make Jesus come alive
Last night was the Sunset Fest talent show. I entered. I did the hula hoop. The idea was to outlast whoever came up to challenge me. I knew ai was in trouble when my opponent started doing the hula hoop around her neck. I was no match. I think she could have kept going as long as she wanted to. It’s amazing how something you found so effortless when you were a kid now is so much work! Yep, as a kid just for fun I used to wrap myself up like a Lincoln log and roll down a hill. And then run back up and do it again. Now if I tried it it’d be so dizzy I couldn’t stand up. Okay, so I can’t roll down a hill like a Lincoln log anymore. But no matter what age you are if you work at something long enough, be it the hula hoop or whatever, you get better at it. And when we do, what we’re working at seems to come alive in us. Many of you have seen the series the “Chosen”. Was that intimidating for actor Johnathon Roumie to play the role of Jesus? I’m told it was. Why? Because as he said, “I’m not Jesus!” But Roumie is smart. He knew that if he were to make Jesus come alive on the scene, he had to first make Jesus come alive in his own life. So, how do you do that? Roumie gives his best effort working at making his life reflect the humility, compassion, and patience of a non-judgmental Jesus. Doing that helps align his life with what being a disciple of Jesus calls us to live, a life of loving service focused on others. Unlike Johnathon Rourie we‘re not actors in central casting. And we’re not auditioning for a role in a movie about Jesus. But like Roumie we too are called to make Jesus come alive in our lives and in the world. Isn’t that why we come here to mass every week? We’re here to align our lives to the Gospel of Jesus. Only when we do that can we give authentic witnesses as his disciples. And in a world full of so many distractions that’s not that easy to do. In the Gospel passage for today Jesus is saying some hard things. As a result, many who were following him began to leave him. So, Jesus turned to those who remained. “What about you? Do you also want to leave?” Again, is that not why we’re here every week? We’re here to say with Peter, “Lord, to whom should we go. You alone have the words of eternal life.”
