Peter the rock

Sunday, August 27, 2017 21st Sunday in
Ordinary Time 1st
Reading: Isaiah 22: 19-23 2nd Reading: Romans 11:33-36 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of man is?” They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Bar jona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

“And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)

Today’s Gospel is about Peter’ primacy. Jesus himself declared Peter the rock foundation of the institutional Church he wanted to found. With the keys of heaven symbolically given to Peter, Jesus was committing God’s approval to Peter’s decisions related to binding and losing. Jesus said: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

Peter eventually died and Pope Linus succeeded him. Popes die but the office of Peter remains.

Sustained by Jesus’ promise to be with his Church until the end of time, this Petrine office will endure.

Notwithstanding this promise, however, the Church remains human, suffering the weaknesses attached to being human. Jesus was aware that human weakness could get his Church into trouble. Despite this he still entrusted his flock to mere human beings. He could have asked his Father to dispatch angels from heaven to man the flock when it was time for him to ascend to heaven. He did not. He entrusted the flock, instead, to imperfect stewards – the apostles.

Probably he chose mere human beings to manage the affairs of his Church so that in their weakness he could manifest his divine power. St. Paul wrote: “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Weakness humbles the shepherds of the flock. In their weakness they are called to serve as humble stewards of God’s flock.

Despite being human though, the Church is holy because of Jesus’ assurance when he said, “I will be with you until the end of time” (Matthew 28:20). –(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM

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