When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his 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." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

1.  "Who Do People Say That I Am?"

Who do people say that I am? This is an easy question. I dont reveal what is inside me by telling what other people think. People have had many opinions about Jesus and still do today. Some think he is a great moral teacher, but no better than any other. Some think he is a prophet. Some still say he is a sinner, like the Pharisees did. Some, like the people of Nazareth, claim that he was just a carpenters son, that he had no intention to call himself the Messiah, that it was a kind of tragic mistake that the Apostles took advantage of to proclaim him the Messiah. There is no shortage of different opinions about Jesus.

2.  "You Are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."

Peter answers that he is the Messiah, the Son of God. He speaks up first because in some mysterious way, perhaps even without his realizing it, the Father has revealed this to him. It has become a conviction of his heart, not merely an opinion in his mind. When dealing with our convictions we speak up immediately, we act. When we are asked about things that are only opinions, we are slower to answer. It takes a lot to change a conviction. It only takes one new fact to change an opinion. Suppose a boy starts a fight with another boy at school. All the other parents thought he was a good boy, but not any more. Yet his own mother still believes he is good. It takes more than one fight to change what she believes with all her heart.

3.  "But Who Do You Say That I Am?"

What do I believe about Jesus in my heart? We all know that Peter had the right answer. That is the opinion we have in our mind. If it is also the conviction of my heart, it will change the way I live. We live according to what our heart says, not our mind. How many times do I know what the right thing is to do and I dont do it? Instead, I do what my heart loves. I follow its convictions. My belief in Christ has to be anchored in my heart, not only in my mind. To accomplish this, I need to pray. Praying, thinking about Christ and what he has done for me in my life is the only way to convince my heart that he is the Messiah, that Son of God. My faith in Christ has to pass from being an opinion in my mind to being a conviction of my heart.

Conversation with Christ:  Lord, I know so much about you, yet I follow you so poorly. So many times, I know what you want me to do, but I dont do it. Instead, I follow the things my heart loves but shouldnt. Help me to think about all you have done for me, to remember it, to meditate on it, starting with your death on the cross. It is real. My heart must be convinced of it. I cant go on with it being only an opinion in my mind; something I know about and accept as true, but which doesnt affect my life. I beg you for this grace to be thoroughly convinced of you.

Questionnaire:   This optional questionnaire is intended to help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him. 

1. When is the last time I had a real "heart to heart" with Jesus in prayer?

2. How often do I raise my thoughts up to him? Do I set aside time in my schedule every day? How often do I stop off and visit him in the nearest Catholic Church, where, truly present in the Eucharist, he is reserved in the tabernacle?

3. It always comes down to a question of me wanting. Do I want this grace of conviction? What are the obstacles that keep me from making Christ the center of my life? Am I willing to remove whatever is holding me back from following Christ whole-heartedly?