Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 121
Reading 1
Thus
says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut,
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
Responsorial Psalm
R.
(8bc) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Reading 2
Oh,
the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given the Lord anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus
went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Peter was the first to proclaim that Jesus Christ was the Son of the Living God. This came in the form of Divine Revelation from God and Peter spoke it moved by the Holy Spirit. With that Peter was singled out by Jesus as the one who would be the foundation of the Holy Mother Church here on this earth. From that moment forward the disciples would defer to Peter and would recognize his authority above their own. This would further continue after Jesus’ death and resurrection through the Apostolic Era. It was through Peter that the early Church was organized and the Bishopric of Rome was seen as First Among Equals regarding doctrine and Church Authority. Jesus did not choose Peter because of any unique talent or abilities. In fact he was much older than the other disciples, more emotional, and possessed many faults. Even though this was the case it should be understood that God calls us into service not because of our unique traits and abilities but because He loves us and it is through our imperfections that the Divinity of God is realized. Through the presence of God in our lives His kingdom can be realized. We can be lifted to heights of greatness and God can be realized when we do His will instead of our own.
In many ways we all are like Peter. We are imperfect, doubting, and damaged by sin. Many of us are wounded through our thoughts and actions that have led us astray and away from God. To us this may make us feel unworthy of a relationship or undeserving of good things given to us in our lives. God does not want us to feel that way. What He wants instead is for us to experience a transformation through our relationship with Him and for us to become witnesses to the Power of God in our lives. It is through this process that the Kingdom of God is realized to the rest of the world through us and by us. It doesn’t matter the condition we are in when God calls us forward. God will heal us and strengthen us through His presence so that we will be new creations through our relationship with him. We benefit and everyone around us benefits through this interaction. The only thing we have to do to initiate this process is to accept God into our lives and turn our will over to him. We are the ones resisting. We are the ones struggling against turning our will over to Him. Any negative that comes out of our interaction with Him is ultimately created by us and our lack of trust in the relationship.
We are not special in a singular sense. Instead we are in a collective way. God loves us all the same. To us this may come as bad news but it really isn’t. God loves everyone and He wants all of us spread the Good News that all things that oppose us or make us miserable can be removed through an acceptance of His love. We are all His children and that means we all are offered the opportunity to be beneficiaries of what He has to offer. What God has and what He wants to give us affects us collectively more than individually. It is then that we become instruments to be used to celebrate Him and His love for us. Yes, God knows us personally and what He knows about us does not make Him love us any less. Jesus Christ demonstrated this by giving up His life on the cross so that we may experience redemption and forgiveness of our sins. When this is realized then what was disordered in our lives becomes ordered and we can live our lives as God intended: loving and being loved by Him.
It is through our relationship with God that our greatness and potential can be realized. What is experienced with God will always be superior to that which is experienced without God. Peter was a disciple of Jesus. When Jesus was proclaimed as the Son of God by him he was then lifted up to a position of authority and importance which lasted for the rest of his life. How we react to the presence of God in our lives and in His creation is the defining characteristic regarding how we will experience Him. When we are open to Divine Revelation and spiritual awareness we will then be capable of reaching a higher awareness and understanding of God and who we are in relation to Him. We achieve equilibrium in our lives and begin a journey to perfection with our God.
There is an expectation of how we will react when God reveals Himself to us. The responsibility of how we conduct ourselves afterwards is solely on us. God speaking through the Prophet Isaiah explains this. As quickly as He gives He can remove if we reject what He is offering to us. This removal is not something God wants to do but is something He has to do because it is a question of us not fulfilling expectations and not doing what is asked. God offers a clear path to a joyful life and a loving relationship with Him. He has a plan for us and is constantly offering it to us. As we progress in our relationship we will be in a position to receive more gifts and more guidance. Following God’s plan and what He is telling us to do can only lead to good things in our lives.
Deacon Tom
Today the focus of the readings is on the Church. In fact, the text chosen for the Gospel, Matt 16:13-20, is one of only two places in all the four Gospels where the word 'church' occurs (the other being Matt 18:15-17).
The community of disciples is being equipped with authority and structures that will enable it to function during the time when Jesus will no longer be with them in the human form they have known.
FORESHADOWS PETER'S APPOINTMENT
The First Reading, from Isa 22:19-23, telling of the replacement of Shebna as master of the royal palace by a new official, Eliakim, appropriately foreshadows the appointment of Peter in the Gospel.
It seems to have contributed to some of the language in which that appointment is made: notably, the hand-over of keys – and also perhaps the sense that what the new appointee determines ('opening' and 'closing') will have a definitive higher sanction, not lightly overthrown. Linking the two readings also is the sense of being responsible for a community seen as a 'building': while in charge of the palace, Eliakim is to be a 'father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem' just as Peter will be the 'rock' upon which Jesus will 'build' the community of his church.
In regard to the Gospel itself, what is important to notice is how what is said about the Church (the ecclesiology) flows from what is said (by Peter) about Christ (the Christology). The Church is only what it is because of its perception of who Jesus is. Everything the Church has to say begins and ends with its God-given knowledge of Jesus, the inexhaustible treasure which it holds in trust for the world.
When Jesus questions his disciples about popular perceptions of his identity, their report shows that people can only place him in categories that are familiar and well-worn. The reality requires a much greater leap in imagination and faith.
SIMON PETER RESPONDS
In the person of Simon Peter, the disciples do rise to such heights. Simon’s response, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God', conveys awareness that, beyond being Israel’s Messiah as conventionally understood (a virtuous and effective ruler of David’s line who would restore the fortunes of Israel), Jesus is related to God in a unique way. In his company, the disciples are being drawn into a fellowship with the divine never before imagined or foreseen.
Peter has conferred a title on Jesus. Now Jesus confers, first a blessing, then three roles on him. Simon is 'blessed' not because he is virtuous or otherwise deserving but because God has graciously revealed to him a knowledge that no amount of human understanding ('flesh and blood') could achieve. On this Christological insight, the entire faith of the Church will rest.
The first role Simon receives is indicated by a new name: 'Rock'. The identity between 'Peter' and 'Rock' – masked in English, more evident in Greek (petros, petra) – is perfect in Aramaic, the language Jesus actually spoke: 'You are Kepha (“Rock”) and on this kepha (rocky ground) I will build my church'.
INSIGHT OF FAITH
Peter is not 'rock' because of personal qualities of steadfastness or reliability. The Passion will further expose (26:69-75) his already demonstrated tendency to falter (14:31). He is 'rock' because of the insight of faith which God has communicated to him. Built on this 'rock', the Church will be a community of life. 'Gates of the underworld' is a biblical expression for the realm of the dead as the inevitable destination of all human beings. Its 'gates' will not prevails against the Church either in the sense that, built upon a 'rock,' it will survive all attempts to destroy it or, more likely, in the sense that its members, even though they die physically, will not be held confined within the realm of the dead but will burst through its 'gates' in resurrection (see 27:52-53).
AUTHORITATIVE TEACHING
The gift of keys does not, as commonly thought, make Peter the gatekeeper of heaven, letting in whoever he deems worthy. It, along with the subsequent reference to 'binding' and 'loosing', has to with authoritative teaching: the power to declare in particular circumstances whether a commandment of the Torah is or is not applicable.
Jesus, the Interpreter of the Torah par excellence (Matthew 5-7) leaves his community with a structure of interpretation and assures it of 'heavenly', that is, divine ratification. In this way, the Church, as both expression and foretaste of God’s reign (the 'Kingdom of Heaven') on earth, is equipped to discern and live God’s will in the changing circumstances that will, in the course of history, confront it.
Happily, this text functions less in polemics between Christian denominations than in times past. While it does certainly underwrite much of the Catholic tradition, Catholics need not read it triumphalistically but, along with other Christians, find in it above all an assurance that for all its human weaknesses and failings, the Church guards a supreme treasure and enjoys a divine guarantee.
Brendan Byrne, SJ, FAHA, taught New Testament at Jesuit Theological College, Parkville, Vic., for almost forty years. He is now Emeritus Professor at the University of Divinity (Melbourne). His commentaries on the Gospels can be found at Pauline Books and Media
