“Nicknames” by Leonidas Aliaga, Fiat Ventures
Ever have a nickname? Sometimes nicknames come from our real names, like a guy named Mike Smith might be called Smitty. Or Joseph might become Joe, Joey, or even J-Dawg. Sometimes we get nicknames based on something about us or something we’ve done. And those names can often be sarcastic. I knew a guy in college who played rugby and had a full beard – and his nickname was Cutie. I knew of one guy who growing up was afraid of heights and once got stuck on top of a building and was afraid to climb down the ladder. His nickname? Heights.
Jesus and his Apostles had nicknames for each other as well. He once called James and John the “Sons of Thunder”. To differentiate the two apostles with the name James, one became James the Greater, and the other James the Lesser (an unfortunate nickname if you ask me). It likely referred to his age and could also be translated as “the Younger”, but still!
Jesus also comes up with a clever name for a guy named Simon, which we hear about in this week’s Gospel. He says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Now if you’re a Greek scholar, or you’ve been learning Greek on the Duolingo app, you’ll know that Peter comes from the word “petra”, which means “rock”. So Peter basically means “Rocky”. A couple thousand years before Rocky Balboa ran up the stairs to the Philadelphia Art Museum, another Rocky became the first Pope.
See the thing is, we are not talking about any ordinary rock here. Jesus says this is a rock that is going to stand forever. Have you ever had the opportunity to stand on the top of a mountain? Imagine standing on Mt. Everest or even Mt. Kilimanjaro. To be on top of the world and look down on everything that God has created. From there we would be able to see all the different terrain and the sky. To stand on such high grounds would allow us to see the world in a completely different way. We can only begin to imagine what Peter was thinking when Jesus told him that “upon this rock I will build my Church.” Then he tells him “I will give you the keys to kingdom of heaven.” I do not know about you but I misplace my keys all the time. What a huge responsibility! I can imagine Peter’s jaw hitting the ground when Jesus is telling him this. This is more important than winning the jackpot in the lottery or getting a lifetime supply of chocolate chip cookies.
This Gospel reminds us that Peter was the first Pope and we have had papal succession all the way to Pope Francis today. Our Church is rich in history and it is something that we can be proud of.
Jesus was speaking figuratively when he made Peter the rock on which the Church would be built…but there’s also a literal meaning here. Did you know that St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is actually built on top of the bones of St. Peter? It’s true! You can even take a tour down underground and see St. Peter’s bones. He was the rock on which the Church was built in more ways than one.
So this week, take a moment and pray for Pope Francis, ask St. Peter to pray for him and for you, and think about what Jesus’ nickname would be for you. Would it be Late Kate since you’re always late for Mass? Would he rename you Dunkin’ because you run out for coffee all the time when you should be getting your homework done? Or would he give you a cool spiritually significant nickname like “Rev” from the movie Remember the Titans because you’re known for always praying. I for one want Jesus to give me one of those nicknames. But I’ll probably still run to Dunkin’ Donuts after I finish writing this!
