Giving Birth To A New Humanity And A New Community

The Beloved Son of God often refers to himself as the 'Son of Man'.  Perhaps  'Son of Humanity' might be more
useful in our days.  Either way, this is not just a title.  It is clear that Jesus sees a new possibility for humanity
being born and emerging in himself.  He gives humanity a new way of understanding ourselves and of how we
must be in the world.  In today's Gospel, He begins by asking how people are responding to what He is proclaiming
and offering.  This question is asked in the region of Caesarea Philippi where a counter proposal of violence is
being offered by the Romans.
 
His disciples draw a rough sketch of what people are saying.  Some see Jesus as a prophet like the great ones
of olden days. But seeing Him this way, and not fully understanding Him, might limit us to viewing him just as an
instrument of judgement and social change.  So Jesus then asks what His own disciples are saying.  How are
they (or we) understanding Him.  It is Peter who has a flash of insight but one which will need more work.
 
Jesus' identity and our own identity will not be found in the revival of a dead past, even if that is situated within
the prophetic tradition.  Much more, it is about choosing to fall into the heartbeat of God and expressing this in
compassionate  living.   Jesus  takes  the  'confession'  of  Peter  and  goes  off  in  a  direction  no  one  could  have
foreseen.  Peter has grasped the identity and mission of Jesus, and in return, Jesus reveals the true identity and
mission of Peter.   Both identities are so interwoven that they cannot be separated.   
 
Peter is given the gift of recognising who Jesus really is and what He is offering.  Peter has been able to receive
this gift because of his relationship with the Father.  We might say that Peter has made a trip to heaven and the
Father has shown him who Jesus really is.  The view from heaven is the rock which survives every storm.  But
there is a need to join understanding with action.  When Jesus speaks, He is the Word of God.  When His words
are understood and acted upon, they become an indestructible foundation.  Heaven and earth are joined, forming
the rock on which Jesus can build the new humanity.  It is this process of aligning heaven to earth that will be the
foundation stone on which the new humanity will gather.  Jesus calls this gathering, the Church.   
 
The rock that is formed by confessing Jesus as the only and eternal truth is bullet proof.  Even when the gates of
hell are opened and all negativity is unleashed, it cannot prevail against the new humanity.  This is because Peter
and all other disciples have the key to another set of gates - the gates to the Kingdom of God.  The prayer of
Jesus, which begins with the words, 'Our Father...' , opens these gates every time it is prayed and heavens grace
flows on the earth.
 
With so many jokes flying around about St. Peter greeting people at the pearly
gates, it can be easy to miss that he is not designated as an afterlife security
officer.  The gate for which he has the keys is in the heart of human life which
turns the flow of love in the world from a stream into a torrent.  This is the
supreme act, the supreme sacrament of the new humanity.  It is an act of
freedom and love flowing from their nearness to God.  Disciples of Jesus are
free to engage with every situation which enhances life and free to disengage
from every action which contributes to death.  This is the new paradigm which
is  being  offered  by  the  Son  of  Man.  In  a  world  where  Jesus  is  often  and
deliberately misunderstood, He makes it clear that He wants a clearly worked
out revolution of awareness and action for those who get Him.  The truth that
is revealed is as much about us as it is about Him.
 
St. Peter and St. Paul are amazing examples of how to grow into confident disciples.  Yet they leave us with a
question  about  how  we  develop  our  understanding  of  Jesus  and  then  integrate  that  understanding  into  our
behaviour.  An artist might use broad brush strokes to guide us into acts of Love, Compassion, Mercy, Justice
and  Forgiving.   But  that  aside,  His  Word  in  us  will  take  us  to  surprising  places.   The  poet  Denise  Levertov,
reflecting on the fig tree that Jesus cursed, wondered if He was telling His disciples that they were withholding
'gifts unimaginable'.  Perhaps we know we are getting closer to the truth when gifts unimaginable are flowing
through us into the world that He loved unto death