Many claim to speak in God's name, and in the first reading God is expelling a false prophet and exalting a man after His own heart. We should be careful in claiming divine sanction for our opinions, for as the reading from Romans makes abundantly clear, our own wisdom and understanding are nothing when compared to God's. Paul sings a hymn of praise to the richness and depth of God's wisdom and knowledge. We need to remember this - God can run the world quite well without our advice or meddling. We do God and our fellow human beings a great service when we get out of God's way and humbly let God use us without consulting us.

Jesus poses the momentous question to His apostles: What's the word on the street? What are people saying about me? Most of them merely repeat what they have heard from others. Peter, however, is listening to the voice of God within, and this voice inspires him to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. If only we would listen to our 'inner teacher' more often, instead of mimicking the opinions of the society and culture around us. It is easy to be manipulated and misled by others, but God has not left us orphans. His presence is within us, so let us pay heed to the whispering of His voice in our hearts. This sort of faith and attentiveness to the Spirit is the foundation of the Church. Let us not be too quick to repeat the opinions of others as our own.