“The kiss burns in his heart, but the old man holds to his former idea.” These are the words that conclude the encounter between the Grand Inquisitor and the man he holds to be the Messiah in his second coming, told by Dostoyevsky in The Brothers Karamozov. The Inquisitor, who must defend the faith, feels as if this person who lives the Gospel so radically has put his life in crisis. The Grand Inquisitor’s faith is an immutable index of propositions that leave no room for uncertainty.

Nevertheless, we experience that life never progresses linearly: what have others understood about me? What have I understood about myself? Am I able to enclose myself in a definition? When we realize that other people really haven’t understood a thing about us, we have two possibilities: either disappoint the people who had set false expectations about us or try to live up to those expectations.

Today’s Gospel shows Jesus trapped amidst distorted and partial interpretations of His identity. Jesus is not afraid to take risks. He sees that there has been a communication breakdown and He questions his disciples about what has happened to His message.

What about us? Do we have the same courage to stop the speculation and ask what people really think about us?

Several things come out of the survey He takes. Some consider Him a moralist like John the Baptist, a chastiser; others point out the controversies and the critical dimension of His teaching, holding a partial vision of Him, considering Him to be a stern prophet like Elijah or Jeremiah who were both persecuted for their positions. Others see nothing special about Him and consider Him to be like any other prophet.

Even when we understand who the other person truly is, that doesn’t mean that we are willing to accept the consequences: the Grand Inquisitor recognizes Christ, but is unable to accept the consequences of His return and he lets Him go so that everything may be forgotten quickly.

Peter also recognizes Christ but he resists accepting the consequences. Christ accepts that He will die; He is not Peter’s idea of a triumphant God, a successful and safe God. And Peter is not ready to accept this aspect of God.

Jesus trusts in Peter fully. He entrusts him with the community, He gives him the power to welcome and to exclude, to bind and to loose. In fact, throughout all the scriptures, God shows himself as always trusting in human mediation, no matter how inadequate it is. It’s no surprise then when we see the inadequacy of those who guide us through some parts of our lives.

Within the mysterious events of history, we are called simply to walk the path towards an ever-deeper knowledge of the person of Christ, without deluding ourselves into thinking we know everything about him, but also without becoming discouraged by the misunderstandings and doubts generated by His (sometimes disappointing) way of appearing in our lives.

Questions for personal reflection:

• What ideas do others hold about you?
• What ideas do you hold about Jesus?