August 23, 2020

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

The Gospel for today (Mt. 16:13-20) is a splendid example of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments with imagery borrowed from the Book of Isaiah in an event of tremendous significance for the Church.

The First Reading (Isa. 22:19-23) is taken from a chapter in Isaiah written as a threat of judgment against the people of Jerusalem. Because they have sinned against God through idol worship and social injustice the prophet Isaiah warns the people of the upcoming destruction at the hands of the mighty Babylonians. Earlier in the passage he makes this dire prediction, “I will weep bitterly because of the plundering of my people. It is a day of panic, rout and confusion, from the Lord, the GOD of hosts.” (Isa. 22:4-5).

Speaking for God, Isaiah then singles out one man as an example of the guilty royal and powerful people who have broken the commandments. Isaiah refers to him as Shebna, “master of the palace.” (Isa. 22:22). Shebna is a scribe and steward over the house of King Hezekiah, one of the last good kings of Judah. Hezekiah has been loyal to God, but judgment has now fallen on his chief assistant, Shebna, who has made a public display of his own wealth and power. For his arrogance, God tells Shebna that he will be stripped of his prestige, “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station.” (Isa. 22:19).

Shebna is also told that he will be replaced by another one of Hezekiah’s assistants, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. Eliakim is referred to as “my servant” to reflect that he has been holy and steadfast to the LORD. God confers a special title of honor on Eliakim saying, “On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.” (Isa. 22:20).

God also says, “I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open.” (Isa. 22:22). Eliakim, as the chief royal assistant, will now have control of the key of the palace, a symbol of his authority to open and shut matters in place of the king. This privilege will give him the final authority to make decisions which will affect the fate of the people of Jerusalem.

The Gospel for today from Matthew (Mt. 16:13-20) contains an incident corresponding to that of Isaiah’s which takes place between Jesus and Simon Peter. It occurs after a series of stories which we have heard the last few Sundays, including a number of miracles, and culminates in a turning point for Peter in Matthew.

Jesus and his companions have been traveling throughout Judah in both Jewish and Gentile territory. Out of compassion for the large crowd gathered, Jesus feeds the five thousand men and their families with only five loaves and two fish. (Mt. 14:13-21). Next, while Jesus retreats to pray, the disciples become tossed in a boat on the turbulent sea. They become fearful as they see Jesus walking toward them on the water. It is only after he saves Peter from sinking and the wind calms down that they then acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. (Mt. 14:22-33).

When they arrive in Gentile territory, the disciples witness more healings and miracles by Jesus, including the cure of the Canaanite woman’s tormented daughter and the feeding of four thousand families with a scant supply of bread and fish (Mt. 15:21-39).

In the following passage Jesus has a confrontation with the religious leaders demanding a sign from heaven, after which he warns the disciples to be weary of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The disciples mistakenly think that Jesus gives them this warning because they have forgotten to bring bread to eat (Mt. 16:1-7).

The retort from Jesus over their persistent misunderstanding is almost comical: “You of little faith, why do you conclude among yourselves that it is because you have no bread?  Do you not yet understand, and do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many wicker baskets you took up? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How do you not comprehend that I was not speaking to you about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Mt. 16:8-11).

Finally, we come to the Gospel reading for today and the passage titled “Peter’s Confession About Jesus.” Referring to himself, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt. 16:13b).

And they reply, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Mt. 16:14).

Then Jesus asks, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt. 16:15)

Without hesitation and with firm conviction, Simon Peter announces, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16:16).

This is where we hear echoes of the passage from Isaiah as Jesus responds, “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. 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.” (Mt. 16:17-18a,19).

Just as God had given authority to Eliakim over the people of Jerusalem, God has now given rank and privilege to the disciple Peter by revealing to him the true identity of Jesus. It has taken Peter quite a while to come to this point, but now he will have the authority of heaven entrusted to him as the leader of those on earth who come to believe in Jesus.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter goes on to play a crucial role in the leadership of the early Church. In conjunction with the other disciples, he makes decisions which establish doctrinal matters releasing Christians from certain obligations and binding them to others. This power given to Peter earns him the title Bishop of Rome, or what Roman Catholics consider to be the first Pope.

Centuries later, Catholics around the world still turn to the Pope, in conjunction with the bishops of every country, to make decisions which govern different aspects of our faith lives and the ways we worship – our liturgical practices, the sacraments we receive, the prayers we recite, and the holy days we observe.

These holy men of God also advise Catholics on matters of social justice, having written numerous encyclicals over the years. They have addressed issues that involve maintaining the dignity and value of human life with everything from abortion, to fair labor practices, feeding the poor, and even global communication. They also continue to advance the cause of ecumenism with efforts to promote unity among Christians and cooperation in matters of faith with all religions in the establishment of peace.

By the power of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, many achieve sainthood when they, like Eliakim and Peter, serve the people of God wielding the keys to heaven.