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."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you: You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Lord, I hope in you. You can remove the scales from my eyes, to recognize you as you are. Lord, I love you. You are my life. You call me to spread the faith to souls, unto the farthest reaches of the earth...

Petition: Lord, in this Jubilee Year of St. Paul that begins today, enflame my heart with a passionate love for you, expressed in a tireless zeal for souls.

1. Who do people say that the Son of Man is? When the Son of God took on a human nature, he also subjected himself to the fickleness of human opinion and opened himself to misunderstanding. There will always be many diverging opinions about who he really is. The variety of opinions is reflected in the apostles answer to Jesus, and the extent of human error or imagination is reflected in one opinion in particular: some even say he is John the Baptist.  Too many, dazzled by the news of Jesus miracles, jump to conclusions about his prophetic identity without going to him and experiencing him for themselves, without reflecting and accepting what he himself says.

Who do people say that the Son of Man is? Jesus asks the question, not so that the apostles will base their opinion on that of the people around them, but as a prelude to questioning them on their own internal conviction. By listening to what people say, or fail to say, he wants them to deepen in their own thoughts. As I contemplate what the world says, I should notice the contradiction in so many conflicting opinions about him, detecting their roots. I should fear being trapped in a shallow understanding of Christ and his mission, for something is not true when it is based merely on public opinion. Jesus is actually inviting me to use my mind, my capacity to reflect, in order to liberate me from what Pope Benedict calls the dictatorship of relativism in my spiritual life.

With St. Paul, I might pray: Who are you, Lord? And the Lord may well reply: I am Jesus ... now get up ... and you will be told what you must do." (Acts 9:5-6).

2. But who do you say I am? Our faith is an intensely personal matter. Not that each one invents his own, subjective faith, but no-one else can believe in our place. In this way, each one stands alone before God and has to give account of all the graces and gifts he has received from God. Jesus is intensely interested in each one of us, in seeing our faith grow and be solidly rooted. He does not want followers to surround him who are only there for the emotion, or for the miracle or the next prophetic sign. He wants to see us approach him as Who he is, our Lord and savior, he wants us to discover him in a personal way and experience who he really is, for only then can he open to us the treasures of his mercy and help.

Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life (cfr. John 14:6). He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. All things came to be through him, and ... what came to be through him was life, life that was the light of the human race (John 1:3-4). Christ is my life! His light will guide my steps...

Peters answer is the fruit of Gods grace. Let us ask God for this grace to make this answer my very own, an answer I will never deny no matter what others may think.

With St. Paul, I can make my own his attitude: For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus (2Corinthians 4:5). Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

3. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. Blessed are you ... For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. The greatest gift in life is faith. Faith is a grace that I must ask for: Lord, increase my faith! Living by faith can allow Christ to make of me a living stone from which to build his Church on this foundation. In fact, Peter has understood my role as a Christian to be precisely such: like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1Peter 2:5).

Through his faith, Peter is made by Christ the Rock on which his Church is built. John the Evangelist, a witness to this promise of Jesus to Peter, later reflected: to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God (John 1:12-13).

St. Paul describes the outcome of this divine adoption by telling us: When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Then he goes on to give us a program of spiritual life, which we might choose to adopt during the Jubilee Year of St. Paul that began with todays solemnity:  Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3: 4,12ff)

Conversation: Lord Jesus, deepen the convictions of my faith. Make me a witness to your truth. Wherever you place me or send me I will always make sure your message goes with me, and reaches every person I meet. Let me live no longer for myself; rather, live in me so that I may faithfully fulfill your mission until the end.

Questionnaire:

1. How personal is my faith in Christ? Who is he for me?

2. Am I influenced by what others say about Christ, the faith and salvation?

3. Christ built and maintains his Church on Peters faith. Who is depending on my faith?