2015:3 - Practice

On Friday, the assigned gospel for the day was Peter’s confession of Jesus (Matthew 16:13-20). I’ve always thought the most important part of that text was Peter’s response to Jesus question, “You are Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.” But as I was pondering that text last week, in the midst of teaching responsibilities and watching the movie Romero, I began to wonder if the most important thing is not Peter’s response, but Jesus’ questions, “What about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus is not asking these questions for his own benefit. He knows who he is. Jesus is also not asking these questions for the benefit of the reader of Matthew. Matthew tells us in the opening words of his gospel that Jesus is “Christ, the Son of David” and when Jesus is born, Matthew tells us that he is Emmanu-el – God is with us.

There’s something important to remember in the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. He was their teacher and they were his students. In my years of teaching in Egypt one of the things that I’ve realized is that I often ask questions because I want my students to rehearse or practice their answers out loud. I want them to grow so comfortable with the vocabulary and the grammar of their response that it becomes a habit and not something they must continually think about.

What if Jesus is asking all of us who are his students – What about you? Who do you say that I am? – so that we too can practice our response and it becomes automatic, a habit, and not something we have to wonder about.

In the movie Romero, the priest is initially shown as someone who enjoys a close relationship with the rich and powerful of El Salvador, while other priests are toiling alongside the indigenous people of the country in a fight for land reform. When the Vatican selects Romero as archbishop, he is seen as a candidate who will keep the country’s rulers happy and not upset the status quo. But as Romero begins to witness first hand the torturing and killing of priests and activists, as he begins to see and experience the abuse and injustice of the people, he begins to understand that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God is in and with them.

I don’t know enough about Romero’s story to know what is fact and what is fiction, but the movie shows a student of Jesus who must first practice his response to the teacher’s questions – What about you, Oscar? Who do you say that I am? – before he himself is willing to stand with and for the people and speak against the powerful on their thrones. Romero must first practice seeing Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God in the people around him before he is willing to take up his cross and follow him. In the end, Romero was assassinated while presiding at the Eucharist. In March of this year, Pope Frances declared him a martyr of the faith.

I suspect that before any of us will be asked to take up our cross and follow Jesus, we are first asked to practice our response to our teacher’s questions: What about you? Who do you say that I am? Until I can see Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God in my neighbor, I will never be able join my neighbor in working for justice.  

So for today, when I see my neighbor, I am working to practice my response to my teacher’s questions. "You are Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God."