“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
The answers other people give can only go so far in helping us to understand the identity of Jesus. Others often give answers that, while not entirely wrong, miss the central point. Jesus was indeed a prophet like John, Elijah, or Jeremiah. But he was also more.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Our response to the question of who Jesus is matters. It isn't mere trivial errata, as though we were recognizing an actor in a movie. For this reason it is a question that we must ultimately answer for ourselves. Jesus wants us to know and come to faith in the full truth of his identity. But in our hearts we must genuinely hear the question and open ourselves to receive the answer by revelation. The focal point of faith is believing that Jesus is the Son of the living God. When the Father reveals this truth to our hearts we are empowered to believe the other truths of our faith as corollaries. Accepting Jesus as the one who reveals the Father is in effect accepting the whole is the Christian revelation. Refusal to accept the revelation of Jesus isn't just a choice to ignore him. It is rather to reject the offer of salvation which is not primarily a doctrine, but rather a person: Jesus himself.
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.
Peter was to be the foundation of the Church Jesus came to establish. But this Church was not to be a substitute for individual relationship with Jesus, but a place where such relationship could be nourished and protected. It wasn't as though because Peter correctly identified Jesus now we need not do so. It was rather that Peter's correct identification of Jesus would be guaranteed as always present and available within the Church. Sometimes, it is true, this message has been made obscure and opaque. But the promise has not been broken. The netherworld has never prevailed.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
In giving his royal authority to Peter as a steward of the Kingdom on earth Jesus did not intend to establish a tyranny, but rather an authority that was at the service of the members, a shepherd who lived for his sheep. This is in fact the attitude with which Peter did guide the Church, as we can see from our first reading.
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.
Today's feast calls us to gratitude that Jesus has sent shepherds to care for us, in order to help us all receive the invitation to come to believe ever more deeply in who he is and all that he has done. Within the Church, protected by the authority of the Chair of Saint Peter, may we open ourselves more and more to the Father revealing Jesus to us.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
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