Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and 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." Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Homily
Over two thousand years have passed since the birth of Jesus, and still the human race has a lot of opinions about who he is. But today’s readings remind us that the most important opinion of all is your own: Who do you say that Jesus is?
Our first reading from Isaiah shows the contrast between Eliakim, the faithful steward, who was entrusted with the keys of the House of David, and the unfaithful steward, Shebna, who had the keys taken away from him because of his infidelity.
Our second reading from Romans reminds us that an even greater treasure and responsibility has been entrusted to Peter and his successors. We hear that God came to us in the Person of His Son Jesus to reveal the treasures of our heavenly Father: “The riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.” The Church has faithfully watched over this treasure down through the centuries, and has entrusted Peter and his successors with what is called the deposito fidei (the deposit of faith). Our treasure is the truth about God, about who Jesus is and what he said and what he did; our treasure is about the path to holiness and happiness that God has planned for us.
In today’s Gospel Jesus quizzes his disciples about the rumor mill regarding who he is. After listening to their answers, he hits them with a pop quiz: “But who do you say that I am?” It was Peter who first taught us how to answer this question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s Good Confession was bolstered by grace. In other words, God infused Peter’s knowledge and faith with a big dose of his grace, because this poor fisherman couldn’t have come up with the right answer all by himself. Flesh and blood did not reveal this to him; it was a supernatural work of God.
The responsibilities and attributes entrusted to Peter are represented by three powerful images: Rock, Keys and The Gates of the Netherworld.
Rock refers to the unshakable foundation Jesus has given to his Church, namely, the papacy. Peter is the rock that guarantees the stability of the Church. “You are Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church.” Peter and his successors were entrusted with this mission for the sake of the well being of all people.
Keys refers to the divinely guaranteed guidance and authority that the papacy will provide concerning what we should believe and how we should live. In other words, the papacy will guarantee that you will always have the right faith and the right morals to live a life that pleases God.
The Gates of the Netherworld refers to the power of the Church to overthrow the kingdom of Satan. Whereas Rock and Keys tell us how the Church is structured, this image shows us what the Church does: It breaks down the gates of evil. The Church is not a social club; it has a mission. Being Catholic means being part of a spiritual army called and equipped by God to fight and conquer sin and evil.
Who is Jesus to you? If your response lacks any element of Peter’s response, it’s time to reexamine and deepen your faith. You can start by praying for the pope. The Holy Father asks us to pray for him. He needs our prayers. Jesus has entrusted him with the work of salvation and pastoral care of every living soul on earth—both Christian and non-Christian. He has many people helping him, but there are also some crosses in his ministry that he alone must bear. Make it a point today to pray individually and as a family for the Holy Father and for everyone who works with him in the Vatican, so that the unity of faith and love in the Church will continue to grow throughout the world.