Can I see some I.D.?

I got on my Walker's Wandering's page yesterday and I saw that someone had posted a blog for me. It was just a few words with a link to a web site. I looked at what the link was trying to advertise and I was appalled to see that it was to some sort of porn page. I deleted it as soon as I saw it, so that none of you would get sucked in by the hacker's web site. This is the second time this has happened in the last couple of months. I've reported it to Blog Spot, but I don't know what to do to keep creeps from pirating my identity in order that they may try to scam you.

Coincidentally though, "identity" is what this weekend's readings are all about.

In the Acts of the Apostles reading today, St. Peter is on trial for healing a crippled man soon after the Pentecost. He defends himself by identifying the crucified and risen Jesus of Nazareth as the one who healed the crippled beggar. The God made man, whom the religious leaders had killed, was still healing people by the mere invocation of His name by the brave Apostles. These first disciples were showing the world that Jesus had changed from dead man to Risen Lord, and thus their identity as His followers had changed. They went from admirers and observers of their rabbi and master Jesus to folks who prayed, preached, taught, healed, and loved with His authority and power.

In John's Gospel (chapter 10) Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. While we might think that the name is appropriate for who Jesus is, the folks of Jesus' time would have been thinking that "Good" and "Shepherd" were contradictory labels. Shepherds in the ancient world of Jesus were not allowed to testify in court because they were notorious liars and not to be trusted. They were the wandering gypsies of their time. "Hide your wives, children, money and valuables! Here come the shepherds!" Yet Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd who lives and gives His life for His sheep. Thanks be to God for His willingness to break stereotypes. He helped us to see Him and His Father  as so in love with us that they will stop at nothing to love us. Jesus' willingness to be the Good Shepherd for us is also a call for us to look through our stereotypes of others whom we've judged to see them with the loving eyes of our God.

Finally, the second reading is from the First letter of John. He tells us that God loves us enough to give us His own special identity. We are now God's children. Just as Jesus is the Son of God, we are son's and daughters of the same God. We are loved with the same love. We are given the same intimate relationship and access. We are promised the same hopeful promises. We are destined for the same high destiny. BUT, we are also called to live up to the same holy and sometime painful unselfishness, AND look at ALL others as God's children too.

Any time we are tempted to have an identity crisis we only need to remember who we are and whose we are.

peace,
Fr. Chuck