“But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The culture of our modern society, and especially here in the United States, prides itself in being very individualistic and competitive. We go to great pains to be different by the way we present ourselves and post on social media. We are always trying to outdo everyone around us.
Ancient cultures were the exact opposite because for them it was about the community and honor. A person was expected to follow in their father’s footsteps and take the same occupation; if your father was a carpenter, then you were a carpenter. People were even expected to have certain characteristics and reputation based on the town where the person lived.
As we leaned, Mediterranean people would do anything to avoid shame to the family. Lying or stealing or bearing false witness to bring shame to someone else while preserving one’s honor was considered an extraordinary accomplishment.
This style of community was taken to an extreme. They relied on others opinions to mold their character and to behave in accord with the community values and culture.
John Pilch wrote: “Experts describe them [Mediterranean People] as dyadic personalities. The word dyad means “pair.” Such people are other oriented to such an extent that they have no sense of their individuality but depend rather on the opinions of others to help them know who they are. It reflects a normal Mediterranean curiosity, a dyadic personality, about what other people think.”
Based on this culture, Jesus asked the disciples “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” What a wide range of responses! Throughout time, most people and leaders considered Jesus a great prophet. The Mormons and the Muslims consider Jesus a prophet, a religious man. Even today, many people will answer the same way.
Then Jesus asks another question, as he always seemed to do, that got to the very heart of the matter and personal. “But who do you say that I am?”
It is ironic that Peter is the one who answers. Just two weeks ago, it was Peter who stepped out of the boat to walk toward Jesus on the water. Peter seemed to be the most outspoken and at times even a bit rambunctious of the disciples. This characteristic would serve him well in the future after the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. Peter would speak boldly in front of everyone to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah.
Peter reiterates his faith when he said “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to Peter that “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”
Even though our culture is very individualistic people still try to influence who we are and how we act. The media is anti-Christian while honoring those who deny God or are of other beliefs. The materialistic values society holds and the competitiveness of everything we engage in is frequently at the cost of someone else’s dignity and value.
It is easy for us to be influenced by these values when everyone around is pressuring us to be like them. In his response to Peter, Jesus gave us the way to avoid those pressures from society. “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” The way the Heavenly Father reveals himself to us is for us to spend time in prayer and meditation away from the crowds. Jesus was constantly doing this throughout his ministry. When the crowds would press in and Jesus spent hours healing the sick and touching their lives, he would slip away to refresh his body and spirit through prayer. It is critical that we too spend time in prayer so that our faith is strengthened.
While spending time in prayer is desperately needed for our spiritual welfare, it is difficult to do. There are so many things that demand our attention. The job probably consumes the most time in our lives. Next are school and the children; there are baseball practices, school plays, swimming and wrestling practice, soccer games and the list goes on. Just ask any parent. Then there are the times when the family gets together. And then there is parish council, RCIA classes and youth meetings to attend.
We need the quiet time away from the world to let God reveal himself to us. Jesus praised Simeon for his answer and gave him the name Peter, the Rock on which He will build His church. This was the beginning of our church: The Roman Catholic Church. Peter was the first Pope and the legacy of the church is still alive today.
When do I have the time to pray? We don’t! We have to schedule time for prayer just like we schedule everything else. If we fail to make time for prayer, then the voices of society influences our lives, our thoughts and we will follow them. Little by little we begin to embrace the ideas that it is ok to cheat a little, it is ok to be rude to others, it is ok to only think of one’s self and what is good for me.
Will I schedule just five minutes a day to spend in prayer? Will I pray the Our Father at least once a day to start? Will I find time to seek God so that I know in my heart like Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?
Jesus still asks us today: “But who do you say that I am?”
