Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 22:19-23
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20
Those who are campaigning for office in this highly charged emotional atmosphere need not ask, “Who do people say that I am?” They can easily find the answer on the Internet. It is an important question, though. Their political future hinges on the answer.
Since relationships are largely built on what we think of one another, the question has special meaning for each one of us at different times in our lives. I am always slightly amused to discover that, even when we don’t ask the question, there are some who want to tell us what others think about us.
In today’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus had gone to Caesarea Philippi with his disciples. There were few Jews in the area so it was a peaceful time for Jesus and the disciples. It was a time for the Lord to test his disciples, to discover what they believed about him. Jesus wasn’t conducting an opinion poll. He knew the answer to his first question: “Who do people say that I am?” He was preparing to take a very important action on behalf of the future church. Jesus asked the question to provide a context for what the disciples would answer to the more important question, “And you—who do you say that I am?” When Peter responded, Jesus had the assurance that the one he had chosen to lead his Church knew who Jesus was. Peter gives Jesus the title of Messiah. Peter told Jesus that he was the one who could give meaning to all life. Peter’s announcement did not come from logic, intuition or piety. Jesus tells us it came from the prophetic gift given by the Father. Jesus responds by calling Peter “rock” and giving him the keys of the kingdom.
In the First Reading, we learn that Eliakim is given the key of the House of David. The key is an insignia of office and symbolizes the extent of power that was entrusted to Eliakim: “…when he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open.” Eliakim had the power to grant or deny admittance to the royal presence. The one who has the key is a deputy or vice-regent rather than a ruler in his own right.
When Peter received the keys, he became a symbol of the sort of power the institutional Church has. Christ entrusted the charge he had from the Father to Peter. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Catholics can know what God does and doesn’t expect in an ever-changing world.
The Church belongs to Jesus. He calls it MY Church. That should be a comfort to all of us.
