Reflections in Ordinary Time

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 21, 2005

Once while on the way to Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Then he asked, "But you, who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter spoke up and said, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 16: 13-16

Who Do You Say I Am?

Once when Jesus was traveling around the towns of Galilee with his disciples, he posed this question to them: "Who do people say I am?" Certainly he knew that everyone was talking about him. Reports of his controversial teaching and miraculous healings were spreading throughout the region. In every town he visited, large crowds gathered to hear him speak, and the sick were brought to him to be healed. He wanted to know what they were thinking, if they were getting the message.

His disciples too had listened to his words and observed the miracles he worked. They had seen the reactions of the crowds, and had been drawn into the discussions about him. They told him of how some people said he was John the Baptist come back to life, John whom King Herod had put to death, of others who said he was Elijah, who according to tradition would return before the Day of the Lord, of others who said he was a great prophet like Jeremiah. The people had never seen anyone like him, but they were not sure what to think of him.

Jesus knew that the crowds did not recognize who he really was. But he wondered about the inner circle of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, and the others who had been with him since the beginning of his ministry. He needed to know if they were getting the message. So he asked them, "But you, who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered. He was often the one who spoke for the disciples. He had grown very close to Jesus, and he had thought a great deal about all he had seen and heard. He had come to his own conclusion about who Jesus was, and he gave his answer: "You are the one we have been waiting for, you are the Anointed One, the Son of God!"

Peter hardly understood what he was saying. His faith was still in its infancy. He would continue to struggle with the words and actions of Jesus, which often challenged his own beliefs and instincts. He would be frustrated, he would say the wrong thing, he would miss the point. And finally, in what would be the darkest moment of his life, he would deny that he even knew Jesus. Peter's answer to Jesus' question was spoken with conviction, but his faith had a long way to go.

Peter and the other disciples would become men of faith only after they saw the risen Lord. Only when he passed through the locked doors of the upper room where they had gathered in hiding after his death, only when they touched the nail prints in his hands and ate bread with him, did they understand who he really was. Only after they had been transformed by his resurrection could they profess that he was truly the Son of God.

In every age since the first followers of Jesus made their profession of faith in him, men and women of faith have had to come to terms with who Jesus is and what he means for them. Christians of every age have had to answer the question: "Who do you say I am?" Each generation of believers has brought its own experiences and insights to bear on the question. And their collective faith has been passed on to us.

The starting point of our faith must be our answer to the question: "Who do you say I am?" For our faith to take root and grow to maturity, we must first understand why this question - and our answer to it - is so important. Jesus does not ask us to judge his words in the light of our human wisdom and insight, but to give our assent to their truth. He does not ask us to examine and evaluate his teachings, but to accept them. He does not ask us to weigh the consequences of his invitation to follow him, but to trust him. He does not ask us to acknowledge him as the teacher of a new philosophy, or as the founder of a new religion. He challenges us to profess that he is God.

Christians in every age have wrestled with this truth. Many have tried to understand and explain how this man, great though he was, could be God. They have all failed, because the human intellect cannot hold such a truth. Some decided that because they could not comprehend it, it could not be. They refused to call him by the name of God, and they abandoned the faith. And to this day many refuse to call him God.

But others, guided by his Holy Spirit, acknowledged in faith what they could not grasp with their minds. They stood humbly before the mystery of God. They listened to his word and meditated on it in their hearts. They marveled that God would empty himself of his glory and come among us as a man. They recognized that God had come into the world to show us the way to eternal life. They cherished his word, and lived by it, and passed it on to us.

The truth they passed on to us is that Jesus Christ the Lord is the only way to eternal life. He brings God's truth into the world. He gives God's answers to man's deepest questions. He shines God's light on the darkness of our existence. And most important of all, he reaches out to each of us with God's abundant and everlasting love. In response to this truth, we are called upon to make our profession of faith, to articulate in our time who he is and what he means for us, and to live out our faith in the face of the enormous challenges of our day.

Father, help us to seek the values that will bring us enduring joy in this changing world. In our desire for what you promise make us one in mind and heart. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

- from the mass for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time