Who Do You Say That I Am?

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. 
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?” 
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.” 
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?” 
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”

So simple, yet so powerful, “You are the Christ.” It is the answer to the question that we must all be able to say with conviction. Can you? Do you? When we hold fast to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which are the teachings of the Catholic Church, we answer the question. When we take time to pray, we answer the question. When we come to Mass every Sunday, we answer the question. When we stand up for the truth, we answer the question. 

We need to be strong in our convictions, we need to be faithful to the truth of Jesus Christ and we need to stand and defend His Church when she comes under unfounded attack. Can we? Do we? See, it’s easy to be an armchair Catholic. Do you know people like that? They sit back and watch as the faith comes under attack and they do nothing. In fact they may even join in the attack. There’s a group called “Catholics for Choice.” These are Catholics who believe abortion is okay, that it is a valid “choice”. There are Catholics who believe that artificial birth control is okay. Sometimes we may even hear folks say that the Church needs to “get with the times” by changing her teachings. And often these are folks who are at least in some way practicing their faith. 

The Catholic faith has been the same since Jesus Christ handed it to the Apostles and while sometimes the style may change the substance never does. She has outlasted every tyrant or king or oppressive government since the Romans. It is the times that need to change my friends and the only way to make that change is for Catholics like us to take a leadership role in society. This means voting for candidates who align well with teachings of Jesus Christ, it means running for office, it means challenging unjust laws and in some future time it may even mean losing our freedom for the truth. The martyrs gave their lives for Jesus and His Church. Do we have the courage of the Apostles? Do we have the courage of a Miguel Pro or a Maximilian Kolbe? I hope if we are ever put to the test we will find ourselves on the side of right. The answer to the question is “You are the Christ”. Are we truly prepared to answer that from our hearts? Are we ready, willing and able? I pray we are.

Peace.