It must have taken Peter a while to accept a person like Jesus. Here was a young rabbi who radiated peace. He performed powerful miracles, yet always turned away from the crowds and back to God. Unlike the other rabbis, Jesus spoke with an authority that came from personal knowledge. Even though Judaism emphasized the extreme "otherness," holiness and justice of God; Jesus called God his Father. In Jesus’ presence Peter recognized his own sinfulness, but he also felt God's love and forgiveness.
Peter and the other Jewish people of his time could never have expected a Messiah like Jesus. The Messiah was to have been a descendant of King David. He was expected to be a royal person, educated in the science of battle. He would be the one who would "set Israel free." Jesus refused to fight political battles; instead, he fought for the hearts of those who heard him speak.
Peter responded to Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" from his heart. "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!" Though he was still a long way from understanding what it meant for Jesus to be Messiah, Peter was already sure that Jesus was God's anointed.
Jesus knew Peter was stubborn and impulsive, still our Blessed Lord chose Peter to be the rock, the foundation for the church. With the witness of men like Peter and Paul, and the other apostles, the teachings of Jesus spread quickly throughout most of the known world. Imagine what the Holy Spirit could do with today’s mass media. All that is required are people like you and me who are not afraid to answer that arresting question, "Who do you say that I am?
It was a joy hosting Fr. Vincent Bulus from Nigeria last weekend. Listening to his mission appeal talk and conversing with him over the weekend was very enlightening for me. The mission appeal reminds us that we are part of the global Catholic Church. Our concerns are very different from the day to day concerns of our brothers and sisters in Christ in the southern hemisphere. Poverty, drought, homelessness, children orphaned by the AIDS death of both parents, death at the hands of warring tribesmen or militant Islamists, these are some of the issues confronting the Church in Africa.
Amazingly, through all of this, the Church is growing enormously in Africa, Asia, and South America. Why? Because the Church knows who Jesus is, the Son of the living God. The Church makes Jesus present by feeding the poor, digging wells, providing orphanages and schools, building hospitals, and calling together people from every tribe and race to worship the living God as his sons and daughters in Christ.
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