As I reflected on today’s readings, I couldn’t help but think about
our rather dismal, dysfunctional national political landscape. Not the
happiest or holiest of thoughts, to be sure (!), but since the readings
from Isaiah and Matthew’s gospel both deal with removal from office, the
conferral of high office, and the handing over of power to govern, I
found myself comparing our nation’s endangered electoral processes with
the clean and efficient way Eliakim, the royal official, was elected -
and Peter, the apostle, too. Both received high office and were given
the keys of power with dispatch and directness. Any way you look at it,
our elections are a whole lot messier!
Don’t worry, though. I’m not going to talk
election politics this morning, but I couldn’t resist the reference if
for no other reason than I thought it might get your attention!
What I do want is to zero in on St. Peter who,
as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, enjoys a high profile in Matthew’s
gospel. In today’s passage, Peter gets the highest profile possible. In
fact, it could be said that, in Jesus’ words, “Blessed are you, Simon,
Son of Jonah,” Matthew has almost given us a ‘ninth Beatitude.’
This particular passage from Matthew’s gospel
is foundational for understanding the key role Peter was given among the
Twelve, the pivotal role Jesus gave him for the building up of the
Church. The entire passage bears exploring. It begins with Jesus putting
two questions to his disciples. First, “Who do people say the Son of Man
is?” The disciples answered well. They reported that people saw him as
standing in the great tradition of the prophets (“some say John the
Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets”). But Jesus’ follow-up question was far more personal and
probing: “And you,” he said, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter, ever the extrovert and, in this case,
the inspired extrovert, was the one to answer the question: “You are the
Christ,” he said, “the Son of the living God!” And for that answer, this
appealing, lovable, ever-so-human fisherman-turned-follower got his name
changed from Simon to Peter, or Rock. He became the rock on which Christ
would build his Church.
But Peter wasn’t always a rock, as you know
very well. It’s true that at one moment Peter could soar to the heights
with inspired professions of faith like “You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God!” and “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
everlasting life!” and “Even though all desert you I will never desert
you!” – Peter could soar to the heights but at the next moment he could
sink to the depths. In fact, in the verses which immediately follow
today’s gospel reading, Jesus calls Peter a “Satan” and a stumbling
block, and tells him to get behind him, to get out of his way!
Peter will always be the perfect embodiment of
the way God uses weak, flawed humans to achieve divine purposes. Peter
is not only the rock on which the Church is built, he is the also an
image of the Church in all its humanness. So much of what Peter was, the
Church is. And, of course, we are the Church….
My friends, we should find it encouraging to
look at Peter and see what Jesus was able to do through him with all his
flaws. Peter is a sign of hope for us all. Like him, most of us live
somewhere between absolutely affirming Jesus and deliberately denying
him. Like him, too, we have to find an answer to that great question of
Jesus: “And you, who do you say that I am?” How we answer that
question will make all the difference.
There is a wonderful story about St. Peter that
is more legend than gospel. It’s one of those things that should have
happened if it didn’t. During the Emperor Nero’s persecution, Peter saw
that he was in mortal danger and decided to get out of Rome while the
getting was good. As he fled from the city along the Appian Way he
ran right into Jesus who was headed in the opposite direction – toward
Rome. In this story, unlike today’s gospel story, it is Peter who puts a
question to Jesus: “Domine, quo vadis?” (“Where are you going, Lord?”),
and Jesus answers, “I am going to Rome to be crucified.” Peter,
chastened, turned on his heels and headed back to Rome. To be crucified.
Of course, that story exists only in legend.
Peter probably never put that question to Jesus. But today’s gospel
question is anything but legend. It is real – very real. “You, who do
you say that I am?” It is a question we answer many times in a lifetime,
a question we answer every time we celebrate and receive the Eucharist.
And the answer we give is our key to the kingdom of heaven!
Father Michael G. Ryan
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