Sunday, August 24, 2014
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, “What do people say of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?” 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 Barjona, 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.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
As a teenager I was given the lion’s share of abuses from clerics. At one time in a boarding school a cleric named Bro. Toto Sean Prado (not his real name) asked me one night to close the windows of our dormitory. All the lights were already off and my dorm mates were already in bed. Because we were occupying an old building in the school compound the sliding windows were very large and they were too heavy for my tiny arms to close. With all my might and all my strength I was able to close them all but not without making noise. Drenched in perspiration I returned to my bed. But the cleric was there waiting for me and scolded me for the noise. As a punishment he asked me to open all those windows again and close them quietly thereafter. He just had too much power over me.
Priests and religious are vulnerable to power tripping because the powerful Church they serve derives power from Christ himself who gave the keys of heaven to Peter. Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, S.J., speaking before priests during a 2002 Priests’ Congress in Cebu identified the sources of the power of priests. He said that through institutional appointment, the priest has the power to administer the sacraments, to interpret the Word of God and to administer the parish he is assigned to. The priests’ personal competence, (being trained the longest among professionals), also make them stand out in the community. When priests are true to their mission, they can even derive power from the trust and respect of the people.
When the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter, it was not for Peter and his successors to abuse. Power should be used to serve and to empower others.—Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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