“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”: Pope Leo XIV and the True Christ

Then-U.S.-born Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, leads people in praying the rosary for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 3, 2025. Cardinal Prevost chose the name Pope Leo XIV following his May 8 election during the conclave. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)

For one of the most (if not the most) well-known figures in human history, the person of Jesus represents many different things to many different people. His name is at once lifted high on freeway billboards and dissected in the spiritual clean rooms of university philosophy departments. Both the Marxist and the venture capitalist have claimed His advocacy. The appellation of “Jesus-lover,” depending on where one is and who is uttering the words, can either be an expression of profound admiration or burning hatred. They are few whose mere names are capable of inciting such disparate reactions.

For us American Catholics, we can count ourselves intimate witnesses of this sometimes befuddling reality. Ours is a society deeply entrenched in secularism, openly hostile to most forms of (authentic) religion, particularly Christianity, and Catholic Christianity most vehemently. I’m certain a great number of those of you reading this have experienced that characteristic, knee-jerk darkening in tone of someone when Jesus or Christianity is mentioned, even tangentially. There is perhaps a temptation, in response to such things, to become standoffish, even retaliatory; to offer a well-placed, “Oh yeah!?”

Obviously, this combative attitude unfortunately taken by some only makes matters far worse, serving to bolster prejudices on both sides. What we should see in all of these reactions to the Holy Name of Jesus, whether positive or negative, is an urgent call for witness.

In his first homily, delivered to the cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Leo XIV spoke at length on the various ways in which people tend to regard Jesus. Utilizing the famous passage wherein Jesus asks His disciples who people say the Son of Man is (Matthew 16:13) as a springboard, Pope Leo struck to the heart of the vitriol leveled at Christ. Worldly people are often perfectly content to proclaim their relationship with Jesus. However, “once His presence becomes irksome because of His demands for honesty and His stern moral requirements, this ‘world’ will not hesitate to reject and eliminate Him,” the new pope said.

Jesus, more than any other religious figure, demands. He demands a personal, individual response, as though He were engaged in a conversation with us. This is not a petulant demand for attention, like the orders barked by a haughty military commander, or any abuse of power by a draconian authority. Rather, the demand of Christ is the river unexpectedly swollen with floodwaters happened across by an explorer in the wilderness. It comes on suddenly and surely, necessitating full commitment from ourselves. We must commit to either move forward, whatever discomforts may come, or to turn back. “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30).

Jesus the mere “upright man,” or “superman,” and other false Christs which Pope Leo discussed, are much more palatable to our comfort-and-convenience obsessed culture. This is precisely because they make no real demands of us; we can accept or reject them, depending on the vicissitudes of our mood, or a changing social climate wherein this or that individual’s advice falls out of fashion for one reason or another; in this context, Jesus is tamed, reduced to yet another “influencer.”

The true Christ is God; the Second Person of the Trinity; the Word that spoke the universe into existence, made flesh. It is our duty as Christians to live the gravity of this truth, however ultimately unfathomable it might be. So much heartache and confusion is engendered in today’s world through the actions (or lack thereof) of those who profess to follow Jesus but who, instead, have set up for themselves one of these cardboard supermen.

These realities should not discourage us. On the contrary, they should motivate us all the more into an authentic witness to the true Person of Jesus, the Jesus who was unafraid of whatever scorn the world might heap upon Him and His disciples as they proclaimed the Gospel. Our society already has enough false gods; we should be conscious that we don’t add to the number.

Walker Price is an award-winning columnist for the North Texas Catholic and a lifelong resident of the Fort Worth area; he attended St. Andrew Catholic School and Nolan Catholic High School. He has a passion for reading, writing, and nature. Find more of his columns for the North Texas Catholic here.