The questions are important, and so is the place where they are asked.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is’. (Matthew: 16,30)
Caesarea Philippi is a mess! Everything that could happen to violate love or the human person would happen here. Why would Our Blessed Lord choose this setting to ask his Question or to use the title Son of Man, and to lay the keystone for his Church?
Of course, there was then, and is now mindless speculation about Him. Yet, He is absolutely clear that He is here for everyone and that He wants his Church to be born in and stay close to the darkest settings. Heaven and earth are aligned on the Rock of Peters Confession. Even if the gates of Hell are opened and all negative fury is hurled at this new community it will not prevail. Why? Because the Church has a set of keys to the kingdom of Heaven. This ability to keep the gates open will make the darkness ineffective.
We’ve all heard the jokes about St Peter working as a full time security officer at the gates of heaven. But seriously folks, the gates for which he has the keys are the gates of human consciousness. And this new power and new awareness will support the disciple to meet the horrors of the world head on. The Disciples mandate is to engage with all situations that uphold the sanctity of life and to disengage from those which bring death. For this work, The Lord has given us insight and gifts beyond our imagination. We take time to ponder these things and to figure out how best to bring them to bear of the brokenness of the world. We work to bring integrity to our faith and how we live in the world. Then we put flesh on the wider ideas of love, compassion and mercy.
