OUR CAESAREA PHILIPPI

HOMILY FOR THE 21^ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The town Caesarea Philipii lies some miles north of the sea of Galilee, and beside the mount Horeb where the transfiguration is proposed by many to have taken place. It was outside the territory of Herod Antipas who ruled over Galilee. The population was mainly non-Jewish. This town was so replete with the shrines of pagan gods. In fact, its name was originally Panias, which symbolizes the area of Pan, the god of nature. There was a big cavern in Caesarea Philippi which was believed to be the birthplace of Pan. That was why that area was identified with the name of that god, Pan. Still to note is that in this town, Herod the Great had built a white marble to the godhead of Caesar, and thereupon erected a temple. Later on, Philip the son of Herod beatified the temple, enriched it and even changed the name of the area which was known as Panias to Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea here means Caesar’s town, as Philipii here means of Philip; that is, Caesar’s town of Philip. This means that the town is owned and cared for by Philip.

In the Gospel of today (Matt 16:13-20), we find Jesus, together with his disciples inside this pagan territory, Caesarea Philippi. Therein, he asked them series of questions about what people say He is and what they themselves say He is. It was Peter who later on got the answer to the question Jesus posed: you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Through Peter’s answer, the disciples became better aware of the identity of Jesus, even though they were yet to understand more fully the spiritual work of the messiah, whom they thought about in political terms. Jesus then had to ascertain Peter as the head of the others, and promised to be with them till the end of time. We must remember that by this time, Jesus was about to face the pains of the cross. So, he needed to hand the work over to his disciples, and to make the leader the one who best understood his mission. He then enjoined them to tell no one about the discovery they have made. With the knowledge of this town Caesarea Philippi, and with what happened therein in the life of Jesus and his disciples, we discover a big significance it can have in the lives of today’s Christians.

1. Caesarea Philippi is a place of prayerful retreat. In the Gospel parallels of the episode, we discover one thing. Mark (8:27-29) gives his account of this question of the identity of Jesus as Matthew who places the context in the district of Caesarea Philippi, but Luke (9:18-20) says that it happened that as Jesus was praying alone, his disciples were with him. Hence, he places it under the context of prayer. So, we can allude that Jesus who was fond of praying went to Caesarea Philippi with his disciples and after they prayed, he asked the questions. And if we are right about this, then Caesarea Philippi was a place of retreat for Jesus and his disciples. It is then a place of retreat for us. It can signify the place we go to when we desire to be alone with our God. It can signify the moment we decide to go indoors in prayer. So, the question comes: what do you do when you need spiritual revival? We are encouraged to have some time for ourselves every month and every year to observe some hours and days of retreat for the nourishment of our souls. The experience of Caesarea Philipii ensures this nourishment.

2. Caesarea Philipii is a place of decision making. Of all places that was, Christ took the disciples to a place adorned with many pagan altars and idols, a place littered with the temples of the Syrian gods, a place that reminded the Israelites about the image of Caesar in whose political bondage they were under. There, Jesus, a Jew too the disciples to question them about whom he was. It is as if Jesus deliberately set himself against the background of the many gods and their splendour demanding to be compared with them and be given the verdict in his favour. It was as if Jesus told the disciples: look at all these gods and decide for yourself whom you believe in. It was as if too Jesus deliberately places himself side by side with Caesar’s image demanding to be compared with it and be given the verdict of who really was their king. Caesarea Philippi then became a place of making the decision for Christ and for no other. It is a place where we go to for the best conviction that Jesus is our Lord. It can also be that experience that gives you the opportunity to really compare Jesus with the pagan gods and the corrupt monarchs of the world. It is a place where we have to compare Jesus with the material possessions that tend to distract and lure us away from God. We need such confrontation. To gain credibility over anything, we have to go face to face with that which poses as a threat unto us; that which fights to contradict what we stand for, and that which we have come to abolish. Our God wants our decision for Him to be out of our free will, having convinced ourselves that he is above all other gods, and all other kings. It is a place or the experience where we repeat the action of Joshua 24:14-15, choose this day whom you will serve.

3. Caesarea Philippi is a place for problem confrontation and solution. Jesus knew very well that his earthly time was ending, and it had to end in a very painful manner. He was troubled. His time was now short. As a human being, he must have thought to himself: is there anyone who understood me? Was there any who recognized me for what I really am? Will there be any who will carry on this work after I am gone? He was troubled about the survival of the new way he came to inaugurate. These problems would only be solved through putting his followers to test. It was however good to know that the problem eased after the interaction with his disciples. It was there in Caesarea Philipii that he gained that consoling. He gained strength. He was happy that someone answered the question prompted by God. More energy came for the mission. If we allow ourselves to make use of Caesarea Philipii to confront our problems, we surely will get solution as Jesus. We grow stronger and wiser. When you are troubled, what do you do? Where is your own Caesarea Philippi where you go to confront your worries and solve them?  It can be a person or a place. It is a place that gives you the conducive atmosphere to tell yourself the truth and face your troubles, asking questions and getting solutions. You must go out. The solution is not always in oneself. The other can help us solve the problems sometimes. It is a person that is sincere to you, and represents Jesus Christ. It can be your spiritual director or your counsellor. But the sure yardstick for measuring the place or person is Christ. Christ must be in the place (e.g. The Chapel/Church) and in the person (a faithful Christian).

4. It is a place for Christ-discovery and self-discovery. Jesus wanted his disciples to know who he really is. From such knowledge, they too would discover themselves as regards the mission for which they are called. If you are in doubt about the existence of God, then you need the experience of Caesarea Philippi. You need to discover who Christ is to you and by so doing discover yourself and the mission he wants you to accomplish. To discover your purpose and goal in Life, you must discover Christ first for only He can direct you well. Discovering Jesus assures us of a great courage knowing that we have him; cut off from me, you can do nothing (John 15:5). If we desire to discover ourselves outside Jesus, we are best to be likely compared to the flower that shines in the morning but withers before the night fall. Christ demands a personal knowledge of him. When you need to discover Christ, what do you do? It is true as the Second Reading (Rom 11:33-36) asks for who can know the mind of God? However, it is even truer that when we walk with Jesus to Caesarea Philipii, we shall discover God, and in fact, it will be himself to ask us of himself and lead us to a proper discovery of ourselves. When you need to discover yourself, what do you do?

5. It is a place of empowerment. At Caesarea Philipii, Peter and the disciples got empowerment. There were four sets of promise –on this rock my Church will be built, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, the keys of heaven I give you, and whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven. These must have inspired the disciples the more for their mission. Hence, Caesarea Philippi signifies the place for inspiration and empowerment. It is a place where God makes promises to us. It is a place where we are given the power to combat evil. With this sort of experience, we remain resolute with a resilient spirit to fight on and will never be defeated. God empowers us to fight against evil. In the First Reading (Isaiah 22:19-23), the Lord promised to crown and empower Eliakim so as to fight against sin and the corruption in Jerusalem. If you wish to join us in the fight against corruption and the evil edifices the devil have erected, then join us to Caesarea Philippi for a very powerful empowerment. In that place, we are enthroned so as to dethrone evil.

May the experience of the disciples in Caesarea Philippi be felt by us this week and ever. Amen God bless you. Amen.