(Audio)
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Not the crowds, not the theologians, nor even the clergy, but who do we each individually say that he is?
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
This answer does not come from others. Nor even does this answer come ultimately from our own intellectual reasonings.
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
There is a correct and an incorrect answer to this question. It is truly vital that we let the Holy Spirit reveal this answer to us.
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit (see First Corinthians 12:3)
It is in this answer that true faith begins. It is not opposed to reason. It is not opposed to witnesses of the generations of faithful. Indeed they mutually confirm one another. But there is more in what the Spirit whispers in our hearts than any logical demonstration or proof. The Church extends the invitation for us to hear God speaking from within us, telling us that he is our Father and that Jesus is the LORD of all.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
It is this continuous revelation of the truth of God that burns in the heart of his bride, the Church. In the rock of Peter and his successors we see that revelation guaranteed to all generations. The Church is more than an institutional and rational entity. It contains in perpetuity the truth of this revelation to Peter. It is therefore always, sometimes even in spite of itself, an invitation to the world to come to know this truth.
Peter is rock because he participates in Christ. Therefore, as Church, he is able to offer streams of living water. Baptism and the Holy Spirit flow from him. Let us not grow frustrated and try to do too much. The temptation is to step out beyond and ahead of what the LORD is doing. He commands something good and so we assume that more is better. Or we are so frustrated with apparent lack of results that we go ahead of what he has commanded.
Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff,
and water gushed out in abundance for the people
and their livestock to drink.
Christ was struck on the cross and living water poured forth. Peter himself continues to pour forth that water as the rock Christ made him. But that font is enough, indeed more than enough. Let us not seek more and let us not look elsewhere. Let us drink this one living stream until our hearts our satisfied, until we overflow to others.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
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