22-Feb-21

Gospel Mt 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “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, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 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.”

Reflection

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The early Christians walked and talked with Jesus; He was their living study guide. From what they heard and witnessed they ultimately had to decide and declare what they believed about Him.

When I was young, my mother and older sister taught me to say my prayers: the Our Father, the Hail Mary. As a child, the prayers were just words I was expected to memorize. As I got older, I learned more about Jesus but was never challenged to stop and think about what “I believed.” I was simply expected to “go along” and accept what I was taught about “being a Catholic.”

A time comes in the life of every woman and man when we are confronted with the question that Jesus posed to His disciples:

“But who do you say that I am?”

At age 45 during a Cursillo retreat, I came to experience Jesus on a more personal level for the first time in my life. He was no longer someone who sacrificed His life that we might “know” of God’s love and forgiveness. Through Cursillo I came to realize that Jesus willingly gave His life that we may “live” God’s message of love and forgiveness.

Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “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, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 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.”

When our hearts and minds embrace the depth of God’s love for us, we begin to understand the life of Christ. God’s love is not given that we might hold it fast to ourselves. We are called to emulate Christ by the love and forgiveness we extend to others.

As Christ emptied Himself so that we may know the love of God, we too are called to empty ourselves through love and service to our sisters and brothers.

Our faith is not meant to be stagnant, limited only to prayers and acts of observance. “The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven” are not made of gold; they are forged from our personal sacrifice for the sake of others.

“Follow Jesus Christ’s example of love, forgiveness and service to others and surely the gates of Heaven will be opened wide for you.” Unknown