Today’s readings begin with God’s covenant with Noah and his descendants after the Great Flood.  God blesses Noah and his offspring, commanding them to “be fertile and multiply and fill the earth”.  This essentially repeats instructions given to Adam and Eve in the first chapter of Genesis.  But in the meantime, much water has passed under the proverbial bridge – quite literally!  Despite the widespread evil that precipitated judgment against mankind through the Great Flood, the covenant language here shows that God retains a high view of man.  It includes a clear proscription against shedding the blood of man while also expressly allowing man to kill animals for their beneficial use. 

The foundations for the law against murder would also be repeated in the decalogue given to Moses.  But this covenant explains that God transmits His own image to each human, just as He did in the beginning for Adam and Eve.  That divine image becomes the source of human dignity.  Human laws and practices do not always respect this dignity, which the Church teaches extends to our earliest life in the womb as well as to life in our old age.  Modern humans profess much admiration for human dignity, but they often overlook its source.  God promises that He will call to account every animal and every human who takes the life of man.  When we recite the Creed, we remember that our Lord will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.  How great will that accounting be when our Lord returns?

In today’s gospel, Jesus turns the tables on the disciples by questioning them instead of responding to their questions.  First, he asks: “Who do people say that I am?”  An objective answer will do here, allowing the respondent to remain aloof.  But then Jesus made it personal: “Who do you say that I am?”   We are good at evading questions like this.  Sometimes it is considered polite to do so, as when your dear spouse asks for your opinion on the food that she worked so hard at making.  But answering in the manner of, “On the one hand [this], but then on the other, [that]”, will not be satisfactory.  (I am reminded of the joke that President Harry Truman, who valued direct answers, once asked his staff to find a one-handed economist.)  
Peter did not evade.  He spoke his mind.  But Jesus was also quick to show Peter that he may have expressed the right opinion, but his foundation for understanding why he was correct was surely lacking. 

Like Peter, we sometimes get ahead of our skis, making pronouncements about things that may not be the product of a complete understanding.  Jesus’ response to Peter might have seemed harsh to Peter’s ears (after all, who likes to be called Satan – especially by the Lord himself?!?), but Peter and Jesus had a relationship that kept them going down the road together.  Peter kept pondering, learning, and growing in understanding in such a way that he would later live up to his name as the Rock, even though he would also fall short and deny his Lord along the way. Understanding takes time, and we need to be patient with ourselves and others. 

Let us follow Peter’s example when we have a difficult time in our faith.  Step back and live with the tension, looking in faith for answers that we may not yet have the capacity to understand.   And while we wait, be sure to remember the dignity with which we are all clothed by God. Thanks be to God.