May I Have Your ID, Please?

Once upon a time there was a country ruled by a king. The country was invaded and the king was killed but his children were rescued by servants and hidden away. The smallest, an infant daughter, was reared by a peasant family. They didn't know she was the king's daughter and she dug potatoes and lived in poverty. One day an old woman came out of the forest and approached the young woman who was digging potatoes. The old woman asked her: "Do you know who you are?" And the young woman said, "Yes," I'm the farmer's daughter and a potato digger." The old woman said: "No, no, you are the daughter of the king." And the potato digger answered back “I’m the daughter of the king?"  "Yes, that's who you are!" And the old woman disappeared back into the forest. After the old woman left the young woman still dug potatoes but she dug them differently. It was the way she held her shoulders and it was the light in her eyes because she knew who she was. She knew she was the daughter of the king.

Recently I had to renew my driver’s license. The form wanted to know who I was so that the computer would recognize me. I had to fill out a form that wanted me to identify myself so I would have a valid license. The form asked for my weight (of course), the color of my hair and eyes, my present address, if I would need glasses or contacts for driving, what was my legal name and date of birth, my social security number, my present address, city of residence, country of citizenship, background regarding convictions with license suspended, physical impairments, or if I ever suffered a seizure or blackout while driving, and a photo was taken to be sure that all the above information matched with my face!

However, I thought: Did they really know who I was?  They didn't ask me about my favorite color, my favorite flavor of ice cream, or my favorite kind of music. They didn't ask about my education background, what job positions have I held, if I had ever visited another country, where was my favorite place to visit, did I speak another language, what type am I on the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs Inventory, or the talents of my Strength-Quest interview, if I am Republican or Democrat or conservative or liberal, or vegetarian, or prefer non-gluten, and if I have a twin.  There is so much to know about who I really am.  Hey, I could have been a daughter of a king!  

Jesus was the Messiah – the Anointed One – and yet they are not too sure about his ID! And he needs to take an inventory or simple survey of what is being said and believed about him. 

In our Gospel this Sunday, Jesus asks his followers, “Who do the crowds say I am?”- He somehow is doing an interview with his followers to listen to what the outsiders are saying of him.  He is told that they remind him of the other prophets – yet he is more that who they were.  The religious leaders find him to be too much for them, and they consider him a rebel, a blasphemer, and a threat. But the poor, the sinners, the despised and those without rights were welcomed by Jesus, and invited to experience “up close and personal”  God’s unconditional love for them. For them, he was the one they had long awaited!  Jesus didn't fill out any form to be submitted to the religious or political leaders to establish his credibility or identity.  He just loved his way through all the complexities of life at that time.  Yet, he took time to stop, reflect, pray, and inquire if the mission was being proclaimed for all to hear . . . and how receptive were his hearers.

So what is the Good News for us this week? Let us reflect on the two questions in the Gospel and tweak them for our reflection:
• Who do we say God is for us? 
• Who would God say we are?