Today, we reflect on the well-known gospel text where the Lord asked his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” His disciples gave him all the public opinion that was out there on the streets. The disciples said, some call you John the Baptist, others call you Elijah, and still others call you one of the ancient prophets. The Lord asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Let me share a short story with you: I grew up in the Church, practicing the faith. We prayed at home. I went through all the instructions for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. I knew almost every prayer by heart. I was an altar server. I sang in the choir and played the drums. I was a Lector at Masses. I was in the youth group of our Church. I was the leader of our Church’s Boy Scouts Troop. I went to Catholic grade school. I volunteered for almost everything at Church. I was a “pretty decent and disciplined kid," as the Americans say.
However, I must confess that it was not until I attended a “Life in the Spirit” Retreat that I came to own my faith on a personal level. The Eight Days of Group Reflection, with an emphasis on growing one’s personal prayer life, helped move my faith from my head to my heart. The retreat helped me to know Christ on a personal level and to own my faith in a manner I had never experienced before.
It is not that what I knew or practiced before then was wrong or bad; rather, it was simply that a time had come when I needed to commit myself to God as an individual. It was no longer my parents’ faith. It was no longer my catechist’s faith. It was no longer my priests’ faith. It was no longer my community’s faith. There was a time for all of that, and a new time had come when I needed to make a personal commitment to God.
It is that “spiritual spark” in our hearts, the knowledge, and the encounter with Christ that ends up fueling all we will ever do and how we will live out our faith. It is that encounter that will drive you to spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. It is that encounter with Christ that will make you wake up in the middle of the night and pray. It is that relationship with God that will help you maintain sanity amidst confusion and life’s challenges - because you truly know and believe that He is Alive and near you!
Part of the challenge our world has faced with young people disaffiliating from the faith has been living a cultural Catholicism or Christianity, at whose basis people have never encountered Christ on a personal level. Where they don’t live the faith of their parents, rather, live a faith that is personal, a relationship with a person. Why do you live your faith?
The Lord in our gospel today asks His disciples, Who do you say that I am? In other words, do you know me on a personal level? Can each of us sincerely say, "You are my Messiah"? You are my Good Shepherd. You are the Light of my Feet. You are my Strength. Can each one of us make a profession of faith that we intimately know Christ?
There is a common song I used to sing with high schoolers and college students when I was big on giving on retreats! The words a personal experience of the Lord:
You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
When I fall down you pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Let us pray today in this Mass for the grace to confess Jesus not just with our lips, but with our entire lives. May we have the courage to step away from the opinions of the crowd and confess sincere faith in Christ as Messiah, just like Simon Peter did. Amen.