What made Peter such a rock? What made him so solid in his faith that Jesus could build an entire church on him? The Gospels, particularly Matt 16:13-23,gives us two clues.
First, Peter was open to God’s revelation. Just before he named Peter “Rock,” Jesus said that God had revealed to Peter the truth of who Jesus was. It wasn’t “flesh and blood,” it wasn’t Peter’s own good ideas, that led him to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. It was God’s own self speaking to Peter’s heart and giving him the conviction he needed to make such a bold proclamation.
Second, Peter let God form and shape his mind. We get a glimpse of this in the next few verses. Peter tries to talk Jesus out of dying on the cross, and Jesus rebukes him for thinking “not as God does, but as human beings do.” Over and over, Scripture shows Jesus correcting Peter, teaching him, and even rebuking him. But through it all, Peter stayed humble and kept learning. He kept trying to separate the godly from the ungodly in his heart, asking the Lord to refine him. As a result, Peter became immovable, solid as a rock, trustworthy and faithful—just the kind of qualities that make for a great leader, evangelist, brother, and friend.
Was Peter perfect? By no means! But he was a changed man. He still had some faults and areas of weakness. But he never let them drag him down.
How can we become solid? Well, by imitating Peter. We each have our own share of thoughts, attitudes, and assumptions. Many are good and wholesome, but some are not. These not-so-solid areas, such as resentments, prejudices, or pride, leave us weak and vulnerable to temptation. If we can follow Peter’s lead and let Jesus confront these areas, we can be set free.
What was self-centered in Peter became God-centered. His dreams became God’s dreams. The same can happen in us as we ask the Lord to break our patterns of selfishness and pride, and replace them with his self-giving love. We can become a rock in our parish. Indeed, we can build the Church.
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