"You are the Christ, the son of the living God!"
I read this passage from Matthew and it reminded me of when I was in
school. I tend to be a bit timid in a
classroom setting. This was true all
through my childhood, even into college years.
When a teacher would ask a question, I would not be the first one to
raise my hand, even if I thought I knew the response they were expecting, for
fear of being wrong. I would wait and
see what others would respond with for an answer. Some would answer correctly and if I was
wrong, I sure was glad I didn't answer.
If I was correct, it made me wish I had raised my hand. There were others in class who weren't afraid
of being wrong, even if they were way off base.
But I was always the introvert and not willing to throw myself out there
and risk being wrong.
In the Gospel today, Jesus asks the disciples an initial question that
they are all willing to answer. Mostly
because it doesn't put THEM on the spot.
It's a question I think we frequently are at least curious about for
ourselves. We may even have asked it of
our friends. Who do the people say that
I am? Or in other words, what are people
saying about me? We are curious for our
own reasons how we are perceived by others.
We have perceptions of ourselves, but do others see us as we see
ourselves?
Jesus isn't looking for the disciples to feed his ego. He knows what people are saying about him and
what they think of him. His real
motivation is the words that Peter utters.
That divine revelation has shown the disciple's Jesus' true nature. Jesus asked the easy question first. He asked what everyone else was saying. And all
they had a reply. John the Baptist. Elijah.
Jeremiah. A prophet. But when Jesus asked them who they
thought he was, they could no longer hide behind what everyone else was saying. Jesus was asking them for their personal
insight. And they are all silent for a
moment. I can picture Peter as one of
those confident people in school when the teacher asks a really tough
question.
Peter steps right out in front, boldly proclaiming "You are the Christ,
the son of the living God!" And he
was right! I wonder if any of the other
disciples were thinking to themselves "that's what I was about to
say!" But Peter is the one who
answered. And Jesus attributes Peter's
knowledge to a revelation by God. And
this revelation among Jesus and the disciples results in Jesus setting Peter apart
from the other disciples. Granting Peter
the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
This is the same Peter that wanted to set up tents at the Transfiguration
because he didn't know what else to do.
The same Peter who got out of the boat at Jesus command, but whose faith
wasn't strong enough and he began to sink into the water. The same Peter who at Jesus' arrest, takes
out his sword and cuts of the ear of the guard.
The same Peter that denied even knowing Jesus three times during his
Passion. And Peter was handed the keys
to the kingdom of heaven.
When we hear Peter given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, I think we
might view Peter as someone too distant from us to relate to. But if we reflect on these things that Peter
did throughout the gospels, I think we can relate directly to Peter. He is just as human as the rest of us,
especially in dealing with situations he didn't fully understand. Peter can be a great inspiration for all of
us. Every day, multitudes of people
cycle through St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. And as they pass by the statue of Saint Peter,
they touch his foot and ask for his intercessory prayer. If you have seen the statue or search for
photos you will see that so many people have touched the foot of St Peter
statue that all the features have worn off over the years.
I've spent all this time talking about Peter, but what about Paul? After all, this is his feast day too. And, like Peter, he is called an Apostle,
although he never met Jesus while Jesus was alive.
St Paul became one of my favorite saints a few years ago, in
2008-2009. That was the year that Pope
Benedict called for the year of St Paul.
During that year, I thought it might be a good idea to learn a bit more
about the man that is associated with over half of the New Testament books. Among other things, I found a short guide called
"A 30 day walk with Saint Paul"
That short daily scripture reading of 3-4 sentences started each day for
me, and at the end of the 30 days, I began the cycle again, lasting throughout
the year.
I found through those readings, and ultimately through his writings, that
St Paul teaches us how to BE followers of Christ. That year, through three short sentences each
day, I found that Paul teaches, trains, provides examples, praises and admonishes
Christians of his time period. And these lessons are directly applicable to
today. I'll give you just a few
examples:
Our
Calling through Baptism, Paul writes:
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3: 27-28)
Paul writes on
Reconciliation: So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing
through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2
Corinthians 5:20)
Paul on Love: Love is patient, love is kind. It is not
jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated (1 Corinthians 13:4)
And as he nears the end of his life, imprisoned for his faith and for his
preaching, he writes to Timothy in the reading we hear today: "the time of my departure is at hand. I have kept the faith." And he gives glory to God for his life,
including his suffering.
Paul's best example for us is that even after his profound conversion,
from a persecutor of Christians to the most fervent follower of Christ, is that
of his human-ness. Paul writes that he
continued to do the things he did not want to do and struggles to do the good
things he knew he should. Don't we
experience the same thing? How many
times have we reflected on what we should have said or done and feel
discouraged. But as we heard today, Paul
experienced the same thing, yet kept the faith.
Today is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Peter, who denied knowing Christ yet
was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and Saint Paul, the persecutor of
Christians who provides us a New Testament witness to the power of Christ in
his life. Both Peter and Paul are
tremendous, real, human examples for each of us.
May God give you peace.
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