I enjoy being present in conversations where expecting parents are trying to pick a name for their child. They usually have an option for a boy and a girl before they know the child’s gender. I love to listen as they talk about how the name represents something about the family and their ancestry. Similarly, throughout the narratives about Jesus, we hear a lot about His heritage, and His abilities are reflected in the names that people give Him.

We know that Jesus is called a son of David. That is the name of one of His ancestors. We also know that He is called the son of the carpenter and is identified by the village that He comes from. We also know that He is called a miracle worker, a demon, the enemy and various other titles that people give Him.

This weekend, we are invited to take up the challenge offered to us in the Gospel. “Who do you say I am?” Jesus asks. The titles or names that we give Jesus often reflect our relationship or our experiences with Him. Reflect for a moment and see if we have become personal enough with Jesus to actually give Him a title or a name. It might happen in our prayer, as we have a personal conversation with Him. It might happen in moments of meditation at Mass, especially as we receive Him in Communion. Sadly, many of us take for granted our encounters with Jesus and fail to make it personal and relational.

Is Jesus our friend? If He is our friend, what kind of friendship do we have with Him? Is it one-sided, and does He always take the initiative? Is He the silent partner in our relationship, where we offer all the words, and they are followed by silence? Do we dedicate the time to our friendship with Jesus that we would to any other important friendship? Do we spend time with Him in personal prayer or the ritual prayer that is offered in our Church? Is calling Jesus a friend just a sentimental feeling and not backed up by relational commitment?

Would we call Jesus our savior? That title conveys an incredible amount of power to the person who holds it. To be a savior, the person on the other end of the relationship needs to be saved. It makes for an unequal relationship, because the savior has the power to lift up and to bring the other out of a deadly situation. Has Jesus ever done that for us? Do we call Him savior simply because of what He did on Calvary, or is He continuing to save us in this time? If so, what words would we put on the experience of Jesus being our savior?

Is Jesus a miracle worker? Does being with Jesus scare us? Are we afraid if we get really close to Jesus, He might ask more of us than we are capable of? Do we have anxiety about how our relationship with Jesus will change our lives?

Great power, privilege and responsibility comes with being in relationship with Jesus. It’s certainly not a free ride and it’s certainly not without consequences. Parents often warn us to be careful of the company we keep. Have we ever been scolded because we’ve been hanging out with the wrong crowd? That was because our parents were afraid that someone or something will taint us and face consequences that could harm us. Our relationship with Jesus certainly will have its consequences, and some of them will be difficult to live out, but they will always be filled with life and hope and newness and joy. Why not spend time with Jesus today?

Father Don Wester is pastor of All Saints Parish in St. Peters.