Is 22:19-23; Rom
11:33-36; Mt 16:13-20 (A / 21)
“Each of us is a
small stone, but in Jesus’ hands participates in the building of the Church”
(Pope Francis)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his
disciples a question that is as relevant today as it was two thousand twenty-six
years ago: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And then he makes it
personal: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:13–15). Jesus is not
conducting a survey. He is asking for a personal commitment. Peter answers,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). To recognize Jesus
as Christ means more than accepting a religious belief. It means accepting his
vision of humanity and becoming part of his mission.
Jesus entered a world divided by
social class, religious boundaries, cultural prejudices, political power, and
economic inequality. He touched lepers, welcomed sinners, spoke with
foreigners, defended the dignity of women, ate with those whom society rejected,
and placed children and the poor at the center of God’s Kingdom. He was a
transformer of human relationships. He challenged religious hypocrisy: “These
people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mt 15:8).
He challenged social exclusion: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me” (Mt
25:35). He challenged the abuse of power: “Whoever wishes to be great among you
must be your servant” (Mt 20:26).
This is the reformation of the
Kingdom of God: not destroying society, but transforming it according to God’s
justice, mercy, truth, and love. And this transformation begins with the right
to question inequalities around us. If I say, “Jesus is my savior,” then I must
ask: What must change in me and society? We cannot proclaim Christ while
tolerating exploitation, human trafficking, or the destruction of human dignity
and the vulnerable. St Paul tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Rom 12:2). Christian
discipleship is therefore a continual reformation of ourselves and our society.
The Second Vatican Council
expresses this beautifully: Christ “fully reveals humanity to itself” (GS, 22).
When we discover Christ, we also discover what it means to become truly human. Catholic
Social Teaching therefore calls us to build a society founded on human dignity,
solidarity, the common good, and justice. The Kingdom of God is not merely
something we wait for after death. That Kingdom of God is at hand (Mt 3:2); “something
can be observed (Lk 17:20); “is within you here and now” (Lk 17: 21). We begin
to manifest it whenever we transform hatred into reconciliation, exclusion into
welcome, exploitation into justice, and indifference into solidarity. Jesus
asks each of us today: “Who do you say that I am?” To know Christ is to be
transformed by Christ; and to be transformed by Christ is to become an
instrument of transformation in the world in our relationships, our society,
according to the values of the Messianic Kingdom.
“The Church is a
community of life, made up of very many stones, all different…” (Pope Francis)
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