“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Being the rock is a good thing. It’s solid, it endures, it is secure. In a parable Jesus says to build on a rock so having Peter as the rock provides us a firm foundation. However, just a few verses later Jesus chides Peter. “You are a stumbling block to me.” A rock can be an obstacle, it can cause you to fall, it can make moving forward difficult. In another parable Jesus warns us that sowing seed on a rock does no good. The rock causes the plant to wither and die. All of which says that while our faith is built up a rock foundation — the traditions, structures, teachings — faith is more than those foundational elements. The faith is alive. It grows and develops. It has to multiply thirty, sixty and a hundredfold. Yes, cling to the rock but also tend the seed of faith so that the new thing that God is doing can come to flower as well.
