Aug 27 - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 27, 2017

I –I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulders.

R –Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of our hands.

II – From God and through him and for him are all things.

A – You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

G –You are Peter, and to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

+The keys of the kingdom of heaven have everything to do with the application of the merits of the Death of Christ on the Cross. The power of “binding and loosing;” the power of saying “this is so,” “this is not so”; “the power to forgive sins, and the power to say ‘no forgiveness, not just yet,’”; “the power to confect all seven sacraments” are the keys that Jesus gave to Peter. The very life of the Church in its entirety comes from the Cross of Christ Crucified. It is our life: we are the Church.

It seems as though Jesus was waiting for a signal from his Father before he appointed Peter as head of the Church: it was not until Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God the Father, replied to Jesus question as to his identity: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

That was all Jesus needed to hear! Jesus needed to hear this act of faith in his divinity and it was upon this faith that he appoints Peter the rock on which the Church would be built, a rock so secure that the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against it! Jesus then felt free to give Peter the keys of the new spiritual treasure!

Yes, the Church will be around until the end of time, and it will always be stronger than evil, stronger than any opposition from within or without, it will be all that God intends for it to be!

The authority of Christ, then, to preach, teach, rule and guide the flock of Christ is entrusted to all of the bishops and the Pope (successors of St. Peter) and their helpers. It is their awesome task to work for Christ, to be his instruments in the gathering of God’s family from the four winds! May we pray that all who work in ministry, including those in religious life who have dedicated their lives to the manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth, before it exists perfectly in heaven, be fruitful, authentic, genuine, brave and courageous to the end.

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.