While they were gathered in a place of prayer, Jesus asked the disciples: "Who do people say that I am?" Among the answers, Pedro gave one that seemed quite correct: “You are the Messiah of God!” Peter was right!
It is curious that, later, when Jesus was arrested and already under the power of the High Priest and on his way to condemnation, someone pointed out to Peter: "he is also a follower of Jesus" (Mk 14,68) to which Peter immediately replied : "I don't know this man."
What does it mean to know Jesus? The Gospel reminds us that a rhetorical response is not enough, a technical definition is not enough, a memorized number of the catechism is not enough, repeating a rule or a precept is not enough.
To know Jesus is to experience what he replied to the disciples: “the Son of man must suffer much, be rejected by the elders, the High Priests and the doctors of the Law, he must be killed and rise on the third day”. To know Jesus is to fully experience his life, including his passion, death and resurrection! To know Jesus is to be born to a new life, to new relationships! Basically, it is to inaugurate the place of love, expanding and transcending life!
To know is to experience, it is to immerse oneself! It is dangerous to think that educating in the faith is learning concepts, memorizing prayers and commandments... all this is fundamental, but it is far, far from what the gospel reveals! Educating in faith is always educating for love!
Fr. Maicon