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Our Sunday Reflection - August 27, 2023
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"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."
Matthew 16:19
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
“Who do you say that I am?” we hear Jesus ask his disciples today. We are his disciples as well, so we would benefit by imagining him asking us the same thing. Who do you say that Jesus is? We could do worse than echoing Saint Peter’s answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We know now what Peter could not at the time: that Jesus redeemed us when he died on the cross, that he was raised to eternal life with the Father, and that he is still with us today, particularly as we gather together in his name and receive him in the Eucharist. Let the “Amen” we say be our personal affirmation of Peter’s answer.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
In the first reading, Isaiah proclaims that God will give Eliakim the key of the House of David. In the Gospel, Jesus promises Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In Eliakim and Peter, God has found faithful followers who can lead and guide the entire community of believers. Though we have not been given such authority, let us pray that we too may faithfully serve God and guide others by our example.Reflections
- Not much more is known about Eliakim than what we learn in this brief passage from Isaiah. But he serves an important role in the history of God’s people, for as the holder of the key of the House of David, even if only for a short time, he provides a necessary link between David and Jesus. The line of those descended from David and chosen by God remained uninterrupted to the birth of the Messiah. Later, Peter becomes an even more pivotal link in the history of our religion: the link between Jesus and the church he founded. Between the key of the House of David and the keys of the kingdom, a line can be drawn from Pope Francis back to King David, all entrusted to lead the people of God.
- The line Jesus uses to praise Peter on his affirmation of Jesus as the Christ (the Greek word for Messiah) is interesting: “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Matthew 16:17). Jesus is “flesh and blood,” fully human and fully divine, and he is correct in saying that he himself has not revealed this to Peter nor to anyone. He did not wish anyone to think the Messiah came to overthrow the government and reestablish the earthly kingdom of Israel. But recall that Jesus himself taught his disciples how to pray. He had already taught them the prayer we know as the Lord’s Prayer. So when Jesus tells Peter that his heavenly Father has revealed to him that Jesus is the Christ, he may be suggesting that Peter has learned this through prayer. Then and now, prayer can be an opportunity for better understanding God.
- When Jesus restates his question to his disciples, changing “people say” to “you say,” he is changing the question from one of opinion to one of faith (Matthew 16:13, 15). Faith gets to truth, but a truth that we cannot prove. Faith can be difficult to maintain without conclusive evidence, especially in the face of evil in the world, of seemingly senseless tragedy. It is in that light that Paul’s words today are comforting. God’s wisdom is inscrutable. God’s ways are unsearchable. God’s will is ultimately unknowable. May our faith console us.
Question of the Week
What have I learned about God and God’s will through prayer?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, August 27, 2023
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, August 27, 2023
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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