Readings for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Isaiah 22:19-23
Occasionally the prophets denounced individuals who obstructed their work (see Amos 7 14:17 and Jeremiah 20: 1-6). This is one of those cases. Shebna strongly encouraged King Hezekiah to ask Egypt for aid in attacking Assyria which went against Isaiah’s policy of non-involvement. Here the prophet envisions a time when Shebna is stripped of his office as steward of Jerusalem and that trust bestowed upon another. Placed in context this passage is important because it gives a sense of the high honor associated with being given the keys to a place in biblical times (Key: symbol of authority; see also Matthew 16:19; Rev 3:7).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Psalm 138 is a hymn of thanksgiving. The psalmist sings of deliverance through the mercy of God who rescues the people, not because of their virtues but out of his love for them.
Reading II Romans 11:33-36
This passage is St. Paul’s final reflection on salvation assured for the justified by the love of God. The apostle has illustrated this theme by showing that God’s plan of salvation does not contradict the promise made to Israel. He now provides this hymn to a merciful God. In it he quotes Isaiah (Greek version of Isaiah 40:13; and Job (Job 41:11a)) to emphasize that God is indebted to no one either for his plan or his gifts to the people. All he gives come from his love and mercy.
Gospel Matthew 16:13-20
St. Matthew’s story of how Jesus asked about what people were saying about him has a profound impact on the Church. Here, when challenged by Jesus with the question, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon answers, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” The second title is not present in St. Mark’s version of this encounter. It adds an understanding that Jesus is not just the Messiah, but also the Son of God.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Isaiah 22:19-23
Occasionally the prophets denounced individuals who obstructed their work (see Amos 7 14:17 and Jeremiah 20: 1-6). This is one of those cases. Shebna strongly encouraged King Hezekiah to ask Egypt for aid in attacking Assyria which went against Isaiah’s policy of non-involvement. Here the prophet envisions a time when Shebna is stripped of his office as steward of Jerusalem and that trust bestowed upon another. Placed in context this passage is important because it gives a sense of the high honor associated with being given the keys to a place in biblical times (Key: symbol of authority; see also Matthew 16:19; Rev 3:7).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Psalm 138 is a hymn of thanksgiving. The psalmist sings of deliverance through the mercy of God who rescues the people, not because of their virtues but out of his love for them.
Reading II Romans 11:33-36
This passage is St. Paul’s final reflection on salvation assured for the justified by the love of God. The apostle has illustrated this theme by showing that God’s plan of salvation does not contradict the promise made to Israel. He now provides this hymn to a merciful God. In it he quotes Isaiah (Greek version of Isaiah 40:13; and Job (Job 41:11a)) to emphasize that God is indebted to no one either for his plan or his gifts to the people. All he gives come from his love and mercy.
Gospel Matthew 16:13-20
St. Matthew’s story of how Jesus asked about what people were saying about him has a profound impact on the Church. Here, when challenged by Jesus with the question, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon answers, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” The second title is not present in St. Mark’s version of this encounter. It adds an understanding that Jesus is not just the Messiah, but also the Son of God.
Given this response, Jesus confers upon Simon a new name “Kephas” which comes from the root Aramaic word Kepa or “Rock”. When translated into Greek it came out Petros and from there to Peter. The name, however, becomes the foundation for the Church and Peter, as a consequence of this exchange, is given Christ’s authority that is passed down through Papal Succession to Pope Benedict XVI today.
Reflection:
The Gospel story begins a great saga of treasure handed down. If we were to tell this part of the story as if it were for a child’s bed time, it might go something like this: Once upon a time there was a man named Simon. Simon was a fisherman by trade. He and his brother Andrew worked together in the family business. They were good people; they were kind to their neighbors and went to church (synagogue) every sabbath.
One day Andrew, who had been following a teacher named John (the Baptist) came running home and told Simon “I think I have found the one who was promised. John says he is the one who is going to save us.” You see an emperor from distant lands had taken over the country where Simon and Andrew lived and almost everyone hated him and his army. There was a prophecy that God would send someone to free them and restore them to a time long before when they had been a great nation.
Simon didn’t think much about it at first but one day that teacher, his name was Jesus of Nazareth, came down to the shore where Simon and Andrew were working and asked Simon to follow him! Something about the man Jesus compelled him. To the shock of his neighbors, he just left his business and he and Andrew started going around with Jesus.
For almost three years Simon and his brother (now joined by ten other special friends) followed the teacher around. The teacher was incredible. He did amazing things but would not take credit for them – he always would say things like “It is My Father’s will;” or “Your faith has done this.” But everyone knew Jesus was something very special.
One day the whole group of friends were walking along by the sea and Jesus turned to them and asked who the people thought he was. Some of his friends said they thought he was a prophet or even that other teacher “John the Baptist” (Jesus and John were cousins you see). Then Jesus asked who his friends thought he was and Simon just said right out “You are Christ,” (that means Messiah – the one who was coming to save the people)”the Son of God.” (That part was totally new.)
To everyone’s surprise Jesus stopped and looked at Simon. Then he told him that what he just said did not come from anything Jesus had said or done but God had told him directly. Everyone knew that God didn’t talk to just anyone like that. Sure God listens to prayers and even talks to us too but it’s really rare that he tells us something totally new. In this case he told Simon something no one had ever known before; that Jesus was His Son!
Jesus figured that since Simon was so special and since he (Jesus) knew that he was going to need someone to take care all the treasure of knowledge and wisdom he was passing out when he had to go home to his Father, he would make Simon his steward. It’s kind of like the executor of a will; he was going to give Simon the power to take care of all that knowledge.
Right then and there Jesus changed his name. He told Simon his new name was “Rock”. It was because he was so solid in what he knew (In the language they spoke back then, the word rock, like bedrock, was Kephas in Greek, the language the Bible was first translated into that word is translated as petros. And that’s were we get the name everyone knows him by now days – Peter.). And he told everyone there that he was going to build his Church upon that Rock – that bedrock.
Then Jesus did something to make sure everyone knew he was giving Peter his authority on earth; he said he was giving Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Everyone back then knew what that meant. That meant that, when Jesus was not around, Peter was in charge of telling them what Jesus would want done or what Jesus meant by things he said when he was around.
Not too long after that Jesus was killed by people who did not understand him. Peter was very frightened when that happened but later on he did exactly what Jesus had asked him to do. And when the time came for Peter to follow Jesus back to his home in heaven, Peter passed on those keys to someone else, a member of the new Church named St. Linus and in turn he passed it on to Cletus and he to Clement the First and so on. Two hundred and sixty six times this has happened until today Benedict the XVI has those keys that Jesus gave to Peter all those years ago. So you see the story is still going on and God is still proving he loves us through is Son and those keys.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Handing-over the Keys” by Sanzio Raffaello, 1515
The Gospel story begins a great saga of treasure handed down. If we were to tell this part of the story as if it were for a child’s bed time, it might go something like this: Once upon a time there was a man named Simon. Simon was a fisherman by trade. He and his brother Andrew worked together in the family business. They were good people; they were kind to their neighbors and went to church (synagogue) every sabbath.
One day Andrew, who had been following a teacher named John (the Baptist) came running home and told Simon “I think I have found the one who was promised. John says he is the one who is going to save us.” You see an emperor from distant lands had taken over the country where Simon and Andrew lived and almost everyone hated him and his army. There was a prophecy that God would send someone to free them and restore them to a time long before when they had been a great nation.
Simon didn’t think much about it at first but one day that teacher, his name was Jesus of Nazareth, came down to the shore where Simon and Andrew were working and asked Simon to follow him! Something about the man Jesus compelled him. To the shock of his neighbors, he just left his business and he and Andrew started going around with Jesus.
For almost three years Simon and his brother (now joined by ten other special friends) followed the teacher around. The teacher was incredible. He did amazing things but would not take credit for them – he always would say things like “It is My Father’s will;” or “Your faith has done this.” But everyone knew Jesus was something very special.
One day the whole group of friends were walking along by the sea and Jesus turned to them and asked who the people thought he was. Some of his friends said they thought he was a prophet or even that other teacher “John the Baptist” (Jesus and John were cousins you see). Then Jesus asked who his friends thought he was and Simon just said right out “You are Christ,” (that means Messiah – the one who was coming to save the people)”the Son of God.” (That part was totally new.)
To everyone’s surprise Jesus stopped and looked at Simon. Then he told him that what he just said did not come from anything Jesus had said or done but God had told him directly. Everyone knew that God didn’t talk to just anyone like that. Sure God listens to prayers and even talks to us too but it’s really rare that he tells us something totally new. In this case he told Simon something no one had ever known before; that Jesus was His Son!
Jesus figured that since Simon was so special and since he (Jesus) knew that he was going to need someone to take care all the treasure of knowledge and wisdom he was passing out when he had to go home to his Father, he would make Simon his steward. It’s kind of like the executor of a will; he was going to give Simon the power to take care of all that knowledge.
Right then and there Jesus changed his name. He told Simon his new name was “Rock”. It was because he was so solid in what he knew (In the language they spoke back then, the word rock, like bedrock, was Kephas in Greek, the language the Bible was first translated into that word is translated as petros. And that’s were we get the name everyone knows him by now days – Peter.). And he told everyone there that he was going to build his Church upon that Rock – that bedrock.
Then Jesus did something to make sure everyone knew he was giving Peter his authority on earth; he said he was giving Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Everyone back then knew what that meant. That meant that, when Jesus was not around, Peter was in charge of telling them what Jesus would want done or what Jesus meant by things he said when he was around.
Not too long after that Jesus was killed by people who did not understand him. Peter was very frightened when that happened but later on he did exactly what Jesus had asked him to do. And when the time came for Peter to follow Jesus back to his home in heaven, Peter passed on those keys to someone else, a member of the new Church named St. Linus and in turn he passed it on to Cletus and he to Clement the First and so on. Two hundred and sixty six times this has happened until today Benedict the XVI has those keys that Jesus gave to Peter all those years ago. So you see the story is still going on and God is still proving he loves us through is Son and those keys.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Handing-over the Keys” by Sanzio Raffaello, 1515
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