Jesus spent most of his ministry in the Jewish towns near the Sea of Galilee, but in today’s gospel he and his disciples travel about 25 miles north to Caesarea Phillipi at the foot of Mount Hermon. It was gentile territory, a center of Roman power, with shrines to Roman and Greek gods.

As he often does, Jesus uses what’s at hand to teach, and so here in a center of Roman power he asks his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They reply, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply,
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

This is one of those gospels people have argued about over the centuries. “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.” What mission  does Jesus give Peter? 

Some say Peter represents all of Jesus’ followers who are  “living stones” “rocks” on which his church is built. Every believer’s a rock. Some say Peter is the disciple Jesus chose, along with Paul, to bring about the birth of his church during a time of its separation from Judaism. So it was  only a temporary mission. 

Catholics see this gospel promising something more enduring. Jesus will provide guidance for his church through the centuries through the successors of Peter, the popes, the bishops of Rome.

That promise of Jesus still stands. God sends leaders, shepherds, guides, to teach and lead his people on our journey. We have the witness of popes through the centuries.

Yet, our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah invites us to see that promise is more than a promise  to Peter and the popes. 

Whether in the world or in the church, we will have the leaders we need to bring about God’s kingdom. We will never be without leaders God promises them.

That’s important to remember today, when there is so much cynicism about leadership of every kind, whether it’s the leadership of popes or priests, or parents, or teachers, or politicians. Can anyone lead us into the future? So many today give up on stakeholders in the future. So many give up on becoming parents, or teachers or even politicians– people who look to the future. So many give up on our world.

The promise Jesus makes to Peter applies to all people trying to better our world. In fact, it applies to us all, for we all have a gift for making the world better. God will give us the wisdom and strength to keep our world on its journey to become God’s kingdom. 

Today, we pray for Pope Leo,  that he continue to be a rock leading our church.

Some criticize him today for taking too much on. He’s traveling too much, they say, he’s getting into issues he doesn’t know much about, like artificial intelligence, immigration, capitalism, climate change. He should stay in his own lane.  Let him stay home and take care of the church.

Look again at our gospel today, where Jesus makes the promise of leadership to Peter, in Caesaria Philippi, a Roman stronghold. Not a safe place to begin a church, a new venture. But that’s the world Peter is called to be a rock. That’s the same kind of world Leo is called to be rock.

He will not have to stand alone, or build alone. Jesus promises to his Bread of Life. Jesus calls us too to live in the world that’s ours, however frightening it can be, and build his church. We won’t stand alone either. He is also our Bread.