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Who do you say I am?
Today’s gospel is dramatic and consequential. The conversation Jesus had with his disciples is alive among us today.
We hear Jesus ask his disciples who people think he is. Their response is vague: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Jesus then asked, “Who do you say I am?”
Peter speaks for the group,” You are the Christ, Son of the living God.” Jesus surely looked at Peter with great love and confidence because he responded by telling him that he, Peter, was the rock upon which the church would be built. Peter’s reaction must have been a mix of elation, fear, and a heavy dose of what does this mean and how am I going to do it.
Fast forward a couple of thousand years and take a look at the church Peter was commissioned to build. It would be easy to say it is a mess. We have bishops arguing with each other and some even accusing Pope Francis of leading the church astray. We see fewer people at Mass on any given Sunday and some tell us that we have failed young people by trying to understand the culture.
Yet we, who are the church, remain faithful. We get frustrated at times, maybe angry, but in the end, we recognize the Spirit of God among us fostering movement toward all that is of God.
The question Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you think I am?” is as important today as it was for the original disciples. If we believe Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” then we will live in the light of his teachings which at the most basic level tell us to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves. This is not terribly complicated. Yet often we make it complicated.
My hairdresser, who does not claim affiliation with any particular religious tradition, surprised me in the midst of a color and a cut yesterday. In the context of sharing a family story she talked about how much better life would be if kindness were the norm rather than judging others, competing and standing fiercely by whatever position we hold.
She wondered how people who claim to follow Jesus could often be cruel to each other. We veered into the political arena and back again to our daily lives and what it meant to live aware of God in the routine of life. It was a spiritual conversation in the last place I expected to find one. Though different in religious traditions we agreed that loving God, neighbor, and self were tenets to live by.
Peter, the one commissioned by Jesus to take on the responsibility of growing the church might be surprised by what the church is today. He might, as Fr. Greg Boyle SJ says, advise us to get back to the “original program” of inclusion, non-violence, unconditional loving kindness, and compassionate acceptance.
As we begin a new year of service in September our volunteers are challenged and supported to live by the “original program" intentionally practicing inclusion, non-violence unconditional kindness, and compassionate acceptance.
Peace,
Anne
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