Which Jesus will you follow? Homily for Sunday, February 8, 2026

In the world today, there are people who claim to follow Jesus, but one that is not always easy to find in the gospels. The gospel tells us we are salt. Light. But whose light? But what type of salt? Readings for today.

Which Jesus will you follow?

There is a story from the Passion of Jesus we all probably know. It was the moment that Pontius Pilate asked the crowd which prisoner they wanted to release. Jesus? Or Barrabas?

But according to some manuscripts, the full name of Barrabas was Jesus Barrabas. So the choice Pilate offered the crowd was really a choice between two people named Jesus. 

In a way, there is a similar choice being faced by people today. On the one hand, there is the Jesus we come to know through the gospels. On the other hand, there is the use of Jesus that doesn’t disrupt us, or challenge us, but is rather used to reinforce what we want to believe.

The question is which Jesus are we going to choose? All around us we can see people choosing a Jesus that is quite difficult to find in the gospels. The prosperity gospel that says we can earn prosperity in this life. Wealth becomes a sign of God’s blessings, and people are not called to self-denial or sacrifice.

There are others who choose the Jesus of patriotism. Following Jesus means working to make the United States great. Christian Nationalism. What is good for the gospel just coincidently is reduced to what is good for the United States.

Just this past week, House speaker Mike Johnson questioned Pope Leo’s interpretation of the gospel by stressing that borders are biblical. By suggesting that while individuals should be good to the poor, it is not the role of the government to do so. The government is for law and order. Loving one’s neighbor is only for individuals.

But just as the crowd chose the wrong Jesus, so too, it appears, do many people today. For today’s readings articulate the priority for believers. “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.”

Again: “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”

Civil law is based upon natural law both of which are subservient to Theological law. The message of the first reading is the message of theological law. Sharing bread. Clothing the naked. Removing false and malicious speech. 

The Jesus we should choose, the Jesus of the gospels, gives us two rules to follow. To love God. And to love our neighbor as ourselves. But Jesus also tells us, in the parable of the Good Samaritan that everyone is our neighbor. 

Consider what Pope Leo tells us. “Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor.” “This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us.”

To follow the Jesus of the gospels, the true Jesus, means that every encounter with the poor is ultimately an invitation to encounter Jesus. In fact, the Jesus of the gospels admonishes us to never put our hope only in this world. That the rich have a hard time getting into heaven. That the way we treat others is the very way we treat Jesus.

When we live like this people can be invited to follow Jesus, to have faith, and to do the same. Light will arise from the darkness. Light will shine before others so our good deeds will glorify God.

The light that will shine to glorify God is our treasure. We live a life, in the words of Saint Paul, “your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” The Jesus of the gospels relies on the power of God. The Jesus of the world relies only on human wisdom, using the bible when convenient but not seeing it as the way we should live our lives.

We live in a time where the light of the gospel witness is needed more than ever. For too many blame the poor for simply being poor. Too many only want a certain type of person to be in our country. Too many do not believe we have any obligation to the poor around the world.

So how do we let the light of Christ shine through us? We feed the poor. We welcome the stranger. We visit those in prison. We clothe the naked. We visit the sick. We realize that every time we act in this way we accept the invitation of Jesus to encounter him.

Our light shines when we see the obligation to feed the hungry as our own. To do what we can to make sure all have something to eat. Our faith compels us to do so without causing the shame of the person in need. For to shame the poor is to shame Jesus. 

Our light shines when we see the duty to welcome the stranger. When we learn to see that humanity is only full when we welcome all types of people. When we learn that the stranger that comes to our country is a beloved child of God. The stranger is often only seeking to find opportunity, just like so many of our parents, grandparents and ancestors did.

But it is also important to remember that it is only by our deep faith in Jesus that any of this is possible. We need to learn, as Saint Paul reminds us not to rely on human wisdom, but on the power of God.

For to be Catholic is to recognize we need the power and grace of God. That we come here to Mass to hear God speak to us in the scriptures. We come here to Mass to be fed by his very presence, body and blood, soul and divinity.So every day we face a choice. Just like the people Pilate asked. Which Jesus will you choose?

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