“Who Do You Say That I Am?” - 21st Sunday OT (A) – 8.27.23
“Who Do You Say That I Am?”
By: Fr. David Schmidt
St. Mark the Evangelist Parish - Butler/Cranberry, PA
Mass Readings - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082723.cfm
In the Gospel today Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they respond, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Then Jesus asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
This is the central question of our lives. ‘Who do you say that Jesus is?’ How you answer this question determines the entire direction of your life. Both now and for all eternity.
We need to answer like Peter did, and when Jesus says to us, “Who do you say that I am?” We say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Notice that when Peter answers this question, Jesus then responds by saying that He will build His Church upon the rock of this truth, that He is the Son of God. And the foundation of this truth is so strong that nothing can prevail against it even the gates of hell.
When we make this profession of faith, there is so much more that we are professing too. We aren’t simply saying that Jesus is the Son of God. We are professing to everything that the Catholic Church believes about Christ and His teachings.
After Jesus tells Peter that He will build His Church on the rock of this truth, He then gives authority over to Peter and the entire Church. He says, “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."
The keys to the kingdom of heaven were given to Peter, the first Pope, and the Catholic Church has been given the authority to determine what Laws and Commandments are from God, and which ones will help us to live our lives in the way that Christ is calling us to live.
So, when Jesus asks us the question, “Who do you say that I am?” What He is asking us is, “Do you believe in the fullness of the revelation of Jesus Christ that has been revealed to the Catholic Church throughout the last 2,000 years? Do you believe what the Church teaches about Jesus Christ and the Laws and Commandments and Doctrines of the Faith that have emerged from it?”
When we respond by saying that Christ is the Son of God, we are really saying,
“I believe in the power of the Eucharist and that your Body and Blood are truly present in the bread and wine.
I believe in the power of the Mass and the Sacraments and how you give us your healing and sanctifying graces through them.
I believe in the power of the priesthood and how you work through your priests to bring the people His Sacraments.
I believe all the Laws and Commandments of the faith.
I believe in the papacy and the authority given to the Pope to govern the Church.
I believe in the doctrines of the faith on morality, sexuality, Scripture, bioethics, liturgy, eschatology, saints/angels, Mary, and so much more.”
This is important because a common thing that we hear today is people saying, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” There is a belief that we can believe that Jesus is the Son of God without believing or following any religion.
This is false thinking of course because Christ established the Catholic Church, and He has given authority over to the Church to help lead His children to heaven. Everything that the Church does is to help us live a life of holiness and get to heaven. The leaders and members within the Church may not be perfect, but the Catholic Church, as the Bride of Christ, is perfect and spotless, because Christ has washed her in His Blood.
When Jesus asks us the question, “Who do you say that I am?” We recognize that this is a deeply personal question that each of us needs to answer. However, the other error that we may fall into in answering this question is developing a more subjective type of answer to this question thinking that Jesus will accept any answer that we give. There is this mentality of “For me, Jesus is [...]”
In the Gospel, when Jesus asks the question about who do the people say that I am, Jesus does not accept the answers that others have been giving when they say He is John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the prophets.
He acknowledges Peter’s answer as the correct answer. Jesus will settle for nothing less than for us to proclaim in confidence that He is the Son of God.
We must respect all people for their beliefs and love them, but that doesn’t mean we don’t stand firm in the truth of Jesus Christ, and everything that we believe as Catholics, as it is THE truth. There is one truth. There is no just thing as your truth and my truth. There is only the truth of Jesus Christ and the Church that He has established to help us turn away from sin and get to heaven.
In this time more than ever, when we are asked the question, “Who do you say that I am?” We need to say with great conviction, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the one that has been revealed to us by the Catholic Church.”
This is a massive question that the Lord is asking us today. We can’t take it lightly. It is a deeply personal question. We all have our own unique relationship with the Lord, so He relates to each of us differently, but the truth of who He is remains the same.
As Catholics, we must answer with conviction the truth of who Jesus Christ is and how He has revealed Himself to the Church over the last 2,000 years through all the brilliant and holy men and women who have articulated so well the teachings and belief of our faith. We must be convicted of this truth, and live in this truth, and we must share this truth with the world. Not giving into ideologies, or the ways of the world. Or this mentality that we can make Jesus into whoever we want Him to be.
So, when Jesus comes to us this day and asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”
How will you respond?
*Image- An imaginative depiction of "Christ handing the Keys of Heaven to the Apostle Peter" as written in Matthew 16:18, by Pietro Perugino (1481–82)
