WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?
Each year on June 29th we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Two saints on the same day who were very different from one another. Peter was a fisherman, whereas Paul was a pharisee. Peter was married, whereas Paul was unmarried. Peter was a disciple of our Lord from the beginning, whereas Paul only came to know our Lord after Jesus had ascended back to His Father. But both were key Apostles in the early years of our Church. Both were martyred in Rome for their faith. By the third century, they had already shared a feast day together. Most importantly, both have something to teach us about who Jesus is.
The gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus asked his disciples, “But who do you say I am?” (Mt 16:15) Peter gave a beautiful expression of faith when he said in response, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) It was a clear, precise response. While others thought of Jesus as a prophet, Peter had come to understand that Jesus was more than just that. Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah. Peter’s confession of faith, however, did not just come out of nowhere. It was based on a journey — Peter’s journey with our Lord. When our Lord called Peter, he invited him to “come after me”. (Mt 4:19) Peter left everything in that very moment and began a life as a disciple of Jesus. He began a daily life of being, journeying with our Lord.
Peter heard Jesus teach the people. Peter saw Jesus perform miracles such as the feeding of 5,000 and the calming of a storm. Peter saw Jesus heal the sick and the lame. All of these took place before Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” It was this lived experience following of Jesus, along with God’s grace, that led Peter to his confession of faith. Peter’s confession of faith was the result of God’s grace illuminating Peter’s life as a follower of the Lord.
Paul, on the other hand, never knew Jesus before his death, resurrection, and ascension. Paul was a persecutor of the early disciples. On his way to Damascus, Paul had his first encounter with our Lord. Jesus said to Paul, “Go, I shall send you far away to the Gentiles.” (Acts 22:21) This wasn’t a calling to “come, follow me” as Peter had received. St. Paul’s was a calling to go out and proclaim the Good News. St. Paul would grow in faith and in his understanding of Jesus through giving witness to our Lord.
St. Paul understood that his calling was first and foremost to preach. Paul wrote, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” (1 Cor 1:17) It was in fulfilling his calling to preach that Paul would continue his encounter with the risen Lord. Therefore, Paul dedicated himself to travelling to towns and cities by land and sea. He endured many hardships and opposition, but continued to spread his faith in the Lord. By his proclaiming of the gospel, Paul would come to answer the question Jesus asked of all disciples, “Who do you say I am?”
Both of these Apostles teach us ways to answer this question of Jesus for ourselves. As in the case of Peter, who Jesus is for each one of us begins with our own lives. Our response to our Lord’s question is based on our individual lived experience of following the Lord, along with God’s grace helping us and encouraging us. The same grace that led Peter to his confession of faith, leads us to see and appreciate the presence of Jesus in our daily lives. As in the case of Paul, sharing our faith with others is an essential part of coming to know our Lord. We grow in faith and in the knowledge of the mystery that is Christ when we strive to live our faith. Jesus calls us and sends us to the very lives we are living each and every day.
The grace of God that led Peter to his profession of faith and the grace of God that led Paul to his conversion is the same grace of God that touches our lives as well. Thus, our Lord asks each one of us, as he asks all of his disciples, “Who do you say I am?”
易唯誠神父
Who do you say I am _
