For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Neither our flesh and blood nor that of our friends and neighbors nor that of the media or experts are adequate to respond to the question Jesus asks his disciples. History and Scripture can point in the direction of an answer, but without revelation it will remain obscure to us.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
We need Jesus to lift the veil himself, because otherwise the glory is too great to behold directly.
For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away (see Second Corinthians 3:14).
We are like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, walking with him, our hearts often burning within us, but without yet realizing or fully realizing with whom we are walking.
When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him (see Luke 24:30-31).
We know that Scriptures our profitable for salvation, equipping the woman of God for every good work (see Second Timothy 3:16-17). We would do well to heed the historical testimony of the "more than five hundred brothers", most of whom were still alive in Paul's day (see First Corinthians 15:6). But we still need revelation not just in general but to each of our hearts. Otherwise, we can know about him but may still miss him when he is near us.
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher) (see John 20:16).
The heavenly Father wants to reveal his Son to us. He has built his Church on a rock to ensure that there would be a place for us to come and both learn the truth of who Jesus is and also to receive the grace that will make that truth alive for us.
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.
The feast of the Chair of Peter means that we need never despair of finding the truth. God established his Church both as witness and as the normal means of receiving grace. This was among the reasons reason why baptism was known in the early years of the Church as enlightenment. It is not as though all the baptized walk in a personal relationship with Jesus, painful as this is to see. Yet all of us have the grace to speak the words Peter spoke, to recognize in Jesus the same thing Peter saw.
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
We may wish that baptism just flipped a switch that forced us to see this truth. Yet, though the lights are turned on our eyes may still remain closed. How much better our lives would be, we imagine, if we could not ignore the truth. But it is precisely in keeping with the character of Jesus himself that the truth is only ever proposed and never imposed.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
The invitation for us today, then, is to open ourselves more to this grace of enlightenment which we have received, and to avail ourselves more of the embarrassingly great riches which have been bestowed on us and safeguarded by the Chair of Peter.
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
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