Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 22:15,19-23; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 11:33-36; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 16:13-20
The famous words of Jesus in the Gospel today, “Who do you say that I am?”, are addressed to his disciples and answered in the person of Peter, who says: “You are the Son of the living God.”
The question, of course, is also addressed to each of us, in our personal and communal commitment as followers of Jesus Christ. Who do we say that Jesus is? A great teacher, a model of morality, a prophet, a saint? All of these fall short of the profound reply that we are called to embrace, along with Saint Peter: You are the Son of the living God.
This implies a living faith in the mystery of the person and presence of Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, Redeemer of the human race, and the one who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Profession of our belief in Jesus is intimately linked to the mystery of the Church as well. The Church must share of the life of Christ, which we especially do by a lively participation in the Sacraments of the Church, most especially the Holy Eucharist and reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord, as well as the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance.
The other Sacraments of the Church are crucial as well: Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick. In the Eastern Christian tradition, the Sacraments are called “Mysteries,” since they impart invisible but real grace to those who receive them.
In addition, the followers of Jesus must participate in the suffering of Jesus, as the response to the call to self-offering. Put in terms that Jesus used: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Gospel of Saint John 15:13). This is what Jesus did and we are all called to do likewise. Easier said than done, we might declare, but the ideal is given, and by the grace of God a possibility in the life of a Christian.
To Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Jesus indicates that Peter is the “Rock” (the very name “Peter” means exactly that), and upon that rock Christ would build his Church. This means that Peter is specifically called upon by Jesus for a foundational role in what is to take place after the Resurrection and Pentecost.
For the Church that is to be lead by the twelve apostles of Jesus, Peter was preeminent among them and ultimately the first “pope” of the Church which Christ established. The actual title of “pope,” though, coming from the Greek word pappas, meaning “father,” started being used only in the early 3rd century.
In any case, Peter is entrusted with a new responsibility, given a share of Jesus’ authority, symbolized by keys, with the assurance that Jesus is the ultimate builder of the Church, the real foundation and source of life and unity, but also relying on the cooperation of his apostles and disciples for the flourishing of the Church.
The permanence and firmness of the new Messianic community, the Church is assured, and death itself is unable to conquer the Church. Why? Because Christ has conquered death once and for all by his Resurrection from the dead.
Peter and his successors have the responsibility of leading people into the Kingdom of God. Even so, the Kingdom of God is a larger reality than the Church on earth, present already in time, and yet also a future reality beyond time and space.
Peter is assured by Jesus that Peter’s authority will be respected “in Heaven,” namely, at the time of judgment when the Son of Man comes, even if Peter’s authority is rejected on earth. We know Peter died a martyr’s death, but that did not diminish his key role and influence for the growth and flourishing of Christ’s Church.
The ministry of Peter and his successors will continue as long as the Church is on her pilgrim journey to the Heavenly Jerusalem.. We are part of the process and possess rights and responsibilities in that journey. The choices we make are important elements for the growth or the diminishment of Christ’s Church. We should never take our lives for granted then, and live to the full the call of Christ: “Come, follow me.”
Our response to who Jesus is must not only be words, but actions that reflect what we believe. This means following Jesus slowly but surely, every day of our lives.
Here is a prayer by the late Biblical scholar and priest, Father Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P. (Congregation of the Passion):
“Lord, your love is eternal; your promises to the Church and to Peter reach beyond the gates of death. Your kindness and your fidelity reach out to us, the work of your hands. We are grateful that you will never forsake us”
(from “Biblical Meditations For Ordinary Time – Weeks 10 – 22, Paulist Press, p.379).
Abbot Christian Leisy, OSB