Gospel: Mark 8: 27-35
Remember in school when the teacher asked a question and you had the right answer to the question? You received praise from the teacher in front of everyone, and you had confidence and great pride. It was a great accomplishment and moment. Sometimes that confidence became cockiness and overconfidence. We thought we knew it all - we were infallible! There isn't a question whose answer we do not know.
But then came the very next question, and we blew it. In fact, we got the answer so wrong that the teacher called us out on it in class. We were so mortified and ashamed. How could we have gone from such heights of brilliance to the very dregs of ignorance so quickly? Moments like this one lead to a great deal of soul searching and questioning within us.
The essence of religion from the earliest times is the telling and retelling of the stories. In every age of our lives we can learn something from the stories. In every retelling of the story we find something new to give us wisdom for life. Without humility we cannot learn. Without the openness to being taught we can never grow. This is true for both individuals and communities of faith, for the prelate as well as the lay person.
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