August 7: “Who Do You Say That I Am?” (bilingüe)

Are you familiar with the expression “Oh, how I long for the good ol’ days?” Wouldn’t it be nice if an equally familiar expression were “Oh, how I long for the bright promise that the future holds?”

In Matthew 16, 13-23, Jesus asks, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And the disciples say, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Do you know what all of these answers have in common? They are the names or titles of people who had previously died. It is as if the people responding to the question were saying, “Oh, how we long for the good ol’ days ... or the good ol’ leaders we used to have.” The fact is that many of us, even today, still see through “the eyes of the past” or with nostalgia about what or who has come before.

In Matthew 16, Jesus then makes the question far more personal for the disciples, asking, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answers him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” At the very least, Simon Peter has brough his answer into the “present moment,” but he is really looking forward – in a big way. His answer, inspired by God Himself, is essentially: “Oh, how I long for the bright promise that the future holds – the first hint of which we see in you, Lord!”

Simon Peter sees Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises, He Himself is the “future” breaking upon the world, and He is the long-awaited Messiah. How do we see Him?

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En Mateo 16, 13-23, Jesús dirige abiertamente a los Apóstoles esta pregunta: “¿Quién soy yo?” Simón Pedro, en nombre de todos, profesa que Jesús es “el Mesías, el Cristo, el Hijo del Dios vivo.” Después de esta “confesión,” el Señor encomienda a Simón Pedro su misión como cabeza del colegio Apostólico y de la Iglesia. Esta es también nuestra profesión de fe, y ella cambia toda nuestra vida. A Cristo pertenecemos, somos sus discípulos. Ojalá seamos buenos discípulos suyos, con la bendición de Dios.