WEEKLY REFLECTION
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The declaration of faith by Peter occupies an important place in all Gospels. In Matthew, the scene is the culmination of a section in which Jesus has been instructing his disciples on various aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven and their role in it. In what Jesus says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church!” is very crucial for a proper understanding of what the Church is, and also our role in the Church.

First and foremost, Jesus calls the Church, “my Church.” This tells us that Jesus Christ is the owner of the Church. He is the Supreme Authority. Neither Peter nor the disciples own it. Neither Pope, nor Bishops, nor Pastors own it. We all belong to the Church of Christ.

Secondly, the passage tells us that Jesus is the one who builds his Church. He is the master builder who has the building plan in his hands. Human cooperators are like masons and carpenters employed by the master builder to help him with the building. Our role is to listen and follow his instructions, doing our own small part in the grand design of the master. So, if Jesus is the owner and builder of the Church, where then do we come in? We come in precisely where Peter comes in. Together with Peter we are the building blocks of the Church. Peter is the foundation rock, and we are the pieces of stone with which the Church is built. Actually, the power and responsibility are shared in a real sense with all the baptized. 

Let us then pray during this Mass that we shall be firm in our faith in Jesus so that we may be able to give a personal response to his question “Who do you say that I am?” and also that we are always faithful to him by not failing in the responsibility he has entrusted to each one of us in building up his Church.