Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God

"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus asked His disciples. Prior to asking this direct question, He inquired who other people said that He was. After answering by telling Him some said He was John the Baptist, which is a bit weird because the Baptist was a contemporary, some said he was Elijah, whose return, according to Malachi, was to usher in the coming of the Messiah, still others insisted He was Jeremiah or another of the prophets, they were asked this direct question.

Stepping up, it was Simon, son of Jonah, who professed Jesus not only as Messiah but as God's Son. At root, what it means to be a Christian is to profess Jesus as Lord, that is, as Messiah and Son of God. This profession is wrought with implications. Relax, I am not going to delve into them.

As a Christian, it's hard to think of a more important question than "Who is Jesus?" What say ye?

Paul, Peter's fellow apostle, insisted both that "nobody speaking by the spirit of God says, 'Jesus be accursed." while convresely asserting "no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3).

It's important, I think, to point out that Peter and Paul had a fairly major spat. In the second chapter of Galatians, Paul is pretty hard on Peter for being wishy washy, sometimes taking the side of judaizers and sometimes not, depending on whose company he was in (see Galatians 2:11-14). This is why Paul calls Peter a "hypocrite" outright. Galatians is an authentically Pauline letter.

Saints Peter and Paul, from Vatican News, use Creative Common License

Peter and Paul both met their mortal ends in Rome. Peter being crucified upside down, tradition tell us, and Paul, a Roman citizen being beheaded. Two Roman basilicas mark these spots: Saint Peter's Basilica and Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

Both Apostles also enjoy their own feast days. The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle is observed each year on 25 January and the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle is fixed on 22 February.

While it is common to refer to the pope as the Successor of Peter, it is important to note that, being universal, the papacy has an important Pauline dimension. Pope Saint Paul VI, who was the first pope to chose the name Paul in 357 years, was the first pope to really travel the world in a missionary spirit. His name and his papal ministry, therefore, are quite fitting. Ever since Pope Paul VI, worldwide travels have been important aspect of the papacy.

Whether to the city (urbi) or to the world (orbi), what the Successor of Peter, who is also the Vicar of Christ, proclaims is that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah, the Son of God. In his Angelus address today, Pope Leo noted

The rock from which Peter received his name is Jesus Christ. He is the rock rejected by the builders, whom God made the cornerstone. This very Square, and the Papal Basilicas of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, are a sign of how that reversal continues in our own day. They are located on the outskirts of the city, “Outside the Walls,” as we say even today. What appears great and glorious to us today, was originally rejected and excluded because it ran counter to the thinking of this world. Those who follow Jesus must tread the path of the Beatitudes, where poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, hunger and thirst for justice, and peace-making are often met with opposition and even persecution. Yet God’s glory shines forth in his friends and continues to shape them along the way, passing from conversion to conversion

June ends tomorrow. 2025 reaches its halfway point. The summer solstice has come and gone. And so, the daylight slowly begins to recede. I am not preaching tomorrow, meaning this is very likely the last post for June. Only 11 this month. I enjoy doing reflections like this one because I can be looser. Peace and blessings on this lovely solemnity.

Saints Peter & Paul, holy Apostles, pray for us.