Sunday, August 27, 2023

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20)

The gospel today confronts us with two basic questions: Who is Jesus? And why belong to the Church? Our answers to these questions should fill us with urgency to live the faith.  If not, we are wasting time going to mass.

Today almost the entire world recognizes Jesus precisely as his disciples respond to his question: "Who do people say is the Son of Man"? Everywhere people see him as a great prophet. Even Muslims recognize this. The great Hindu leader, Mahatma Gandhi, wrote that he had had a bad impression of Jesus because of his bitter experiences with Christians as a young man. He then read the Sermon on the Mount and recognized the greatness of Jesus. However, if Jesus is only a prophet, if his achievements are limited to his words alone, he would not be worth our submission. We could accept his statements that seem on target and reject those that seem outdated.

However, the gospel today claims that Jesus is more than a prophet. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simon, son of John, declares, "’You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'". This means that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who has arrived to recreate the world in justice. He comes to establish right order among men and women whose values have been distorted by Satan and his forces of evil. As the prophet Isaiah says, “'The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to sell wounded hearts, to proclaim liberation to the captives and liberty to the prisoners, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord...'"

To such a savior we owe not only admiration but faithfulness. He enlightens us with his teachings on how to navigate among the pitfalls of pride and lust. Even more significant, he strengthens us spiritually so that we may reach our destination, an intimate relationship with God. Serving this savior is not a burden but a joy because his orders point out the folly of the world around us.

The gospel emphasizes Simon, the son of Jonah, as much as Jesus. Because he correctly answers Jesus' question, he is commissioned as his second. His assignment signifies the replacement of the Pharisees and scribes as the official interpreters of God's word. From now on it is the Church and above all the successors of Simon who will serve as the intermediaries between God and humanity. With the new position, Simon receives a new name, appropriate to his office.  He is “Peter,” meaning rock, the foundation stone of the Church.

We wonder if the authority of the Church continues after so many mistakes made not only by Church officials but by the very successors of St. Peter. As Simon Peter will continue to make mistakes as a human person, we cannot expect perfection from his successors. But in terms of doctrine, the Bishop of Rome has shown remarkable consistency in upholding the teachings of Jesus for nearly two thousand years. There have been lapses in the sanctity of the papacies, but it is also impressive how deviations from the path of goodness have not resulted in the permanent loss of righteousness.

All of us know people who have left the Church. They make us wonder what would happen if we too were to stop going to Mass. We would probably feel loneliness like when we move to another country. We would be losing the closeness of a sensible and caring friend. Jesus is found in the gospels that we can read but he comes to us above all in the sacraments of the Church. There we find him as savior and sustenance, as unifier and healer. Our lives would be lacking without these means of encounter.

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