Louis BIRA sx
Master: Are you a Christian?
Boy: Yes.
Master: what do you mean by being Christian?
Boy: I don’t know. I am a Christian just like that!
We find this conversation in the novel Houseboy by the Cameroonian novelist Ferdinand Oyono (1956). One may claim that stories from novels are fictions. Surely, they are. But they always refer to some truths in real life. The houseboy of the novel is the symbol of many Christians who are baptized and all they know about their faith is what they were told once learning catechism. Some people, just repeat what they hear during sermons!
The dialogue between Jesus and his disciples (Mt 16: 13-20) we hear this coming Sunday, reminds us that we are not Christians just like that. Being a Christian implies answering the question: Who is Jesus for me? In the Gospel, the first question Jesus addresses to his disciples is: ‘who do people say the Son of Man is?’ (v. 13). The answer of the disciples recalls what is commonly known about Jesus by the people: a prophet like John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremy…(v. 14). That is a fairly good answer. At least, Jesus is situated in the great prophetic line of Israel. He is among those people recognized as speaking on behalf of God. But Jesus is more than a prophet! He is not a mere religious man. He comes from God.
The second question: “but who do you say that I am?” is much more a question seeking a personal answer from the disciples, his followers. The question is still valid and addressed to each Christian today: who is Jesus for us today? Who is Jesus for me today? Without any excuses, every Christian is called to find the answer to this question. After answering, the next step is to see what is the impact of that answer on one’s daily life.
In the Gospel, on behalf of the disciples, Peter answered: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 15). For Peter, this answer was neither a memorized answer nor a mere formula. For him, it requires a conduct rooted in the decision to follow the Lord by being faithful to the mission entrusted to him: being a rock on which Christ builds his Church. To him, the keys of heaven are given (v. 19). It is the symbol of authority.
Among the twelve, Peter is called to be the ‘chief’. But his chieftaincy is not like a worldly chieftaincy. To be faithful to the mission received, Peter has to be like his Master, the Son of God who lays down his life for others. Peter does not have a power to dominate but to serve. Indeed in his first letter, he advises everyone ‘ to serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received (1P 4: 10)’. The first reading of this Sunday says the same thing: in giving authority to Eliakim, the Lord asked him to ‘be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ (Is 22: 21).
It’s a good lesson for those holding positions of authority in our Christian communities. If they are not servants like the Son of Man, they have no authority at all! Therefore, the ability and a clear intention to serve should become a criterion for elections of leaders in our communities. For this reason, we understand now why the pope known as the successor of Peter is called: servant of servants.
I remember the words of a catechist in one community: “Please, I am not an ordinary member of this community. I am the catechist”! The same can be said about ordained ministers who behavior as if they were “paramount chiefs” to be served and listened to. For those among us listening to this Gospel this Sunday while holding a portion of authority in the Church, it is a call to conversion: from authority as power to authority as servanthood like Jesus our Master. But it is also a call for each Christian who through his baptism has accepted Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God to live like Jesus our Servant Lord.
Master: Are you a Christian?
Boy: Yes.
Master: what do you mean by being Christian?
Boy: I don’t know. I am a Christian just like that!
We find this conversation in the novel Houseboy by the Cameroonian novelist Ferdinand Oyono (1956). One may claim that stories from novels are fictions. Surely, they are. But they always refer to some truths in real life. The houseboy of the novel is the symbol of many Christians who are baptized and all they know about their faith is what they were told once learning catechism. Some people, just repeat what they hear during sermons!
The dialogue between Jesus and his disciples (Mt 16: 13-20) we hear this coming Sunday, reminds us that we are not Christians just like that. Being a Christian implies answering the question: Who is Jesus for me? In the Gospel, the first question Jesus addresses to his disciples is: ‘who do people say the Son of Man is?’ (v. 13). The answer of the disciples recalls what is commonly known about Jesus by the people: a prophet like John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremy…(v. 14). That is a fairly good answer. At least, Jesus is situated in the great prophetic line of Israel. He is among those people recognized as speaking on behalf of God. But Jesus is more than a prophet! He is not a mere religious man. He comes from God.
The second question: “but who do you say that I am?” is much more a question seeking a personal answer from the disciples, his followers. The question is still valid and addressed to each Christian today: who is Jesus for us today? Who is Jesus for me today? Without any excuses, every Christian is called to find the answer to this question. After answering, the next step is to see what is the impact of that answer on one’s daily life.
In the Gospel, on behalf of the disciples, Peter answered: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 15). For Peter, this answer was neither a memorized answer nor a mere formula. For him, it requires a conduct rooted in the decision to follow the Lord by being faithful to the mission entrusted to him: being a rock on which Christ builds his Church. To him, the keys of heaven are given (v. 19). It is the symbol of authority.
Among the twelve, Peter is called to be the ‘chief’. But his chieftaincy is not like a worldly chieftaincy. To be faithful to the mission received, Peter has to be like his Master, the Son of God who lays down his life for others. Peter does not have a power to dominate but to serve. Indeed in his first letter, he advises everyone ‘ to serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received (1P 4: 10)’. The first reading of this Sunday says the same thing: in giving authority to Eliakim, the Lord asked him to ‘be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ (Is 22: 21).
It’s a good lesson for those holding positions of authority in our Christian communities. If they are not servants like the Son of Man, they have no authority at all! Therefore, the ability and a clear intention to serve should become a criterion for elections of leaders in our communities. For this reason, we understand now why the pope known as the successor of Peter is called: servant of servants.
I remember the words of a catechist in one community: “Please, I am not an ordinary member of this community. I am the catechist”! The same can be said about ordained ministers who behavior as if they were “paramount chiefs” to be served and listened to. For those among us listening to this Gospel this Sunday while holding a portion of authority in the Church, it is a call to conversion: from authority as power to authority as servanthood like Jesus our Master. But it is also a call for each Christian who through his baptism has accepted Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God to live like Jesus our Servant Lord.