21st Sunday of Ordinary Times

Readings for:21st Sunday of Ordinary Times, Year A

Reading 1   Isaiah 22:19-23 

Psalm         Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8  

Reading 2   Romans 11:33-36  

Gospel        Matthew 16:13-20  

REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel     

Theme of this Sunday: Faith in Christ, the Rock On which the Church is Founded. We find the theme of this Sunday in the Gospel: faith in Christ, Son of the living God, is the foundation of the Church. The first reading is but a comment and explains the symbolism of the keys and clarifies how authority should be understood. The second reading can be seen in the light of this theme because it presents the mysterious ways God intervenes in the history of humanity, the way he uses to lead us to discover the identity of Jesus of Nazareth.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples a key question: “Who do you say that I am?”  He wasn’t asking for assurance as to who he was. He knew who he was. Peter, as always showing great leadership potential, gave Jesus the right answer: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” It is a question and answer that affects all of us in what we do and how we live. Actually, how we answer this question affects every person in how they should live. With what authority does Jesus speak then? He then tells Peter that he will be the “rock of the Church” and gives him authority to bind and loose sins. The symbolic key which Jesus gave Peter would be passed along to the next person and so on. Whoever would have the key would have the authority and power to “open and one shall close or to close and none shall open.” ie.., to rule with authority. It is told later in Matthew’s Gospel that this power would be shared with all the Apostles (Mt 18:18). Peter’s authority comes from God. The Church’s authority comes from God as well. What gives the whole thing a different slant is Jesus’ preaching on authority. Authority is for service. To be a christian means to be a servant in God’s kingdom. Pope Leo XIV said, “ Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes a criterion for our decisions, when it makes us women and men committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did.” St. Augustine said, “Having experience of God brings you in relationship with others.” And, Pope Leo XIV said, “ In Cana, Jesus’ disciples become his family and the faith of the church is born. All of us are invited to that wedding feast so that the new wine will no longer run short.”