Who do people say that I am?

In today’s Gospel as usual Jesus is walking with his disciples. Suddenly he turns around and asks them a question: “Who do people say that I am?” He wanted to know what people said about him, the gossip around town. “They said in reply, John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” People didn’t know who Jesus really was and they had all sort of opinions about him, mainly that he was a kind of a prophet. It is a bit like what happens nowadays. What people would say today about Jesus? A good guy, a guru, a religious leader, a political rebel, a terrorist. Only good Christians would say that he is the Son of God.

Then Jesus asked them a personal question: “But who do you say that I am?” It was a loaded question because they were still trying to figure out who Jesus was. They remained silent, not wanting to commit themselves, looking at each other to see who was going to respond. It is a real question for all of us. From time to time Jesus turns around and asks us directly: Who am I to you? It is a good question to ask ourselves during our prayer. People in love are always asking this question, checking how they stand in front of their lover. Who is Jesus for me? It is a question every human being should ask him or herself. The response is very revealing and has important consequences.

It is a similar question Saint Paul asked, when he fell from the horse, going to Damascus to apprehend Christians: “Who are you, sir?” This time it is the other way around, Paul asking Jesus. “The reply came, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” I am the one you are following from afar, the one you sometimes deny, betray, mock, ridicule, ignore. From time to time Our Lord pushes us away from the high horse of our pride, selfishness, laziness, vanity, to wake us up, to bring us back to what’s important in life. He gives us the grace to recognize him, to know him better, to realise that he should be the centre of our lives.

What is the place of Jesus in my life? We know that he should be the one, that he is a must, he is the only way. What does Saint Paul say of Jesus, after his encounter with him? “For me to live is Christ.” “Live your life in him, be rooted in him and build upon him.” “It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me.” At the end of the Eucharistic prayer, the priest lifts up Jesus and says: through him, with him and in him. With Psalm 26 we say: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Jesus appeared to Saint Thomas Aquinas and told him: “Thomas, you have spoken well of me, what do you want?” He answered “All I want is you.“

Once Jesus appeared to Saint Catherine of Siena and asked her two questions in one: “Do you know who you are and who I am?” Both questions are interrelated. The more we know Jesus, the more we know ourselves. You cannot love what you don’t know. They say that if you live alone on a desert island for a long time, you lose the sense of your own identity. Jesus is the one who makes us more human, who gives us security, who is the foundation of our true happiness, peace and joy.

josephpich@gmail.com