Who do you say that I am?

I heard these words in today’s Gospel as Jesus asked Peter about his understanding of the true identity of Jesus Christ. In this particular instance Peter got it right. He hit a home run as he proclaimed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” (Mt 16:16). We all know that Peter did not always get it right. I think that is why I like him so much. I can relate to Peter. I think we all can.

In one of my classes we are reading about the early Church Fathers and their teachings. Earlier this week we were discussing the heresy known as Arianism. Arius was a priest who took issue with a homily that was given by his Bishop (even early in my formation I can see how this was not a good idea...), Alexander. Arius believed that there was a time when the Son was not. This means that there was a time when God was not Father. This meant that the Son of God was a creature begotten by the Father. The Son, according to Arius, would be mutabile and therefore susceptible to vice and many other implications that come along with those attributes. Arius was pronounced a heretic and censured by his Bishop. Now, I am by no means a church scholar. Keep in mind that I am a first year seminarian so please don’t think that I speak with any real authority on these matters. I am just sharing some of my thoughts.

I bring up the example of Arius simply to make the point that even after Peter’s confession, the confession of St. Thomas the Apostle, the teachings of the early Church Fathers and Bishops, I think many of us encounter Christ each day and hear him ask, “Who do you say that I am?” This is not meant to say that we each have our own truth about whom Christ is and that the answer is up to us. As the priest put it in his homily this morning, Christ asking this question to Peter was more like administering a mid-term exam in order to gauge the progress of your students.

The answer to this question is for each of us a matter of prayer. I ask you to consider as I will in my own prayer, who is it that I proclaim Christ to be, not only by my thoughts and my words, but by my actions? After all the disciples came to know Christ by watching what he did and listening to what he said. How do I show Christ to others? Do people see Christ in me? Do I see Christ in others (even those I may not particularly like)? Do I really encounter Christ? Do I know him? Do I take the time to know him? Do I introduce my family, co-workers, or children to him?

I think we all have had the experience of people who get the wrong impression of us. They see us in a way that does not always match up with our own self image. They cannot see into our heart. They cannot read our minds. They are only able to know who we are by how we live our lives and by the parts of our lives that we are willing to show them. It then becomes hard to determine whether the true identity is that of our own self image or that which the majority of people see when they encounter us. Do with that what you will and give it some consideration.

On a lighter note, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive and well. My lack of writing has not been a matter of overwhelming responsibilities but more a matter of taking some time to myself while things aren’t so hectic. I hope this finds all of you in good health and good spirits. Please be assured of my prayers for all of you. Please continue to pray for me and my seminarian brothers. We are experiencing a bit of change here at the seminary once again and that is always difficult. I look forward to a relaxing weekend this week and will write again soon. In the meantime, I leave you with this for your consideration:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
On your own intelligence rely not;
In all your ways be mindful of him,
And he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

Pax Tecum,
Tom