At our Eucharist on this past Sunday at St. John’s University, we welcomed our “Catholic Scholars” who begin and continue their study at St. John’s University.  The 100 students who gathered started their semester with a retreat.  I love to see these students congregate around the altar and pray for a growth-filled experience in the coming year.

I was not the main celebrant for the mass, but as I listened to the Gospel readings, I knew what I wanted to say.  The Scripture held out two questions which would form the foundation of the study for these good young men and women.

Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” This consideration holds an important place in the lives of those who follow Jesus.  Their journey begins with a recognition of what others are saying about the Lord.  How have people interpreted his words and his actions?  As the apostles respond to the Lord’s query, they connect him to John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.  One can understand how this popular thinking would make the disciples thoughtful.

But then Jesus asks the key question: “But who do you say that I am?” And we hear Peter’s faith-filled response.  “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The questions that Jesus asks summon a fundamental reflection for each of us and can form a powerful direction for the students who come to SJU.

The first important question put to these young men and women is also “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”   In all their classes and encounters and study, this question poses the key focus for their study.  Somehow or other, the lessons that are learned must point towards a deeper understanding of the Lord as he influences business and law and liberal arts and all other fields.  The question that the students must ask of their professors relates to how they can come to understand Jesus better and appreciate the way in which he influences every discipline, especially within a Catholic University.  Usually, it is not an explicit question, but one which underlies their study and provides a context and application.

And, this leads to the more important question: “But who do you say that I am?”  The goal of a Christian education is to help the student to come to a deeper and more intimate knowledge and love for the Lord.  In the end, the highest goal of an education is to answer the question regarding who Jesus is for each one of us and how that influences the way that we live.

The answer to the question depends upon the formation that must take place in a person’s life.  We listen to the Scripture, and we receive the Eucharist, and we attend to the words of the Holy Father.  But we also learn of this world that God has made and the various roles of human beings. In countless ways, we are moved towards an affirmation of who Jesus is.  Our answer determines a direction for our faith and practice.

These questions are not addressed solely to the apostles and the students. They are also directed at us.  In our reading, in our listening, in our actions, how do we hear Jesus proclaimed and what does that mean for each of us?  “Who do you say that I am?