The Catholic Church makes an extraordinary claim that it is through a special charism of the Spirit that Peter and his successors govern the Church. Bishop Barron writes that this has been the cause of division between Catholics and Protestants. What is the focus of Peter’s confession? It has to do with who Jesus is. This is the rock upon which the Church is built. We don’t say for a moment that all of Peter’s practical decisions are right, that everything he says is right. But we are saying that he is right about who Jesus is a man who is also the Son of the living God. And this is the source and ground of the whole operation. Fr. Kenneth E. Grabner writes that the question Jesus asks the disciples, and the one Peter answers is so important that Jesus addresses it to each one of us. The way we answer it reveals what kind of relationship we have with God. Imagine Jesus standing before you now and asking, “Who do you say I am?” How would you answer? For me, Jesus is the One who shows by his words and actions how our lives can be meaningful, full of joy and open to the divine presence that dwells inside of us. Jesus not only shows us, but he is also within us, giving us the ability to imitate what he has shown. No mere human being can do this for us. Such a gift can only be given by God.