Who do you say that I am? How many correct answers are there to that question?
St. Peter, rock-solid in his response, declares, “You are the Christ.” (Mk 8:29). According to the Gospel of Matthew, we see that “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 16:17). So, certainly we can count this as a good answer. However, would it be possible to give a different reply?
Could one look to the Gospel of John and say, “Jesus, you are the bread of life” (Jn 6:35). Or, you are the light of the world (Jn 8:12). Or, you are the good shepherd (Jn 10:11). Could we call Jesus the bridegroom (Mk 2:19) or Emmanuel (Mt 1:23) or the lamb of God (Jn 1:29)? All these passages point out different qualities of the person of Jesus. It is as if we are gazing into an enormous diamond through different facets. It is a grace to know Jesus Christ! And it is of the utmost importance. Because God sent his Son into the world, so “that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Believing in Jesus affects us for eternity.
“Who do you say that I am?” At the core, even though there may or may not be different answers to Jesus’ question, it is still a personal question. It is directed through the words of holy Scripture to you. You must respond. Granted, if you are reading this you probably have a pretty good understanding of who Jesus is. You are trying to know him and love him to the best of your ability.
I propose a grace to pray for today is to be able to relate to Jesus as the suffering servant. This identity is something St. Peter was not willing to see, and in return he gets rebuked by Jesus (Mk 8:33). Jesus reveals that God loves us so much that he suffers and dies for us. Love is revealed by the cross. God loves us even to the furthest limits of suffering and even unto death. So, while there may be different answers to Jesus’ question of who he is, because of the cross, there can be no question of how far God will go to show us his love.
Father Floeder is pastor of St. Dominic in Northfield.
Sunday, Sept. 15
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
