Homily for the Week of August 21, 2011

TWENTIETH-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A 2011

Readings: Isaiah 22:19-23;

Romans 11:33-36;

Matthew 16: 13-20

A new school year will soon be here. We all have our own memories of school and of classroom participation. One of the memories might be tests that are planned and announced by the teacher and some pop tests that are unannounced. At the time of Jesus there were no schools or teachers or classrooms like those with which we are familiar. But Jesus very often called himself teacher, and many times his friends called him The Teacher. In the Bible reading for today we listen to Jesus giving his closest friends a pop quiz. It was a basic question:Who do people say I am?

This happened when Jesus and his disciples were in the region of Caesarea Philippi, a pagan area about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. They were likely standing at the base of Mount Hermon, in front of the well known cliff filled with niches holding statues of pagan gods at the top of which was a statue in honor of Julius Caesar. It is here that He asked his close friends who others thought he was. He got a variety of answers. This was an indication that he was not well known -- perhaps much like the answers he would get from persons today.

Then Jesus turns the question around and makes it more personal. He asked his friends who they taught he was. There was a long silence. Then there were a lot of wrong answers. But then Peter answers correctly: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then tells Peter that he gave the right answer. He then appoints him as the first leader of the church, or was later known as the First Pope. Since Peter there have been 264 Popes.

That passage has been the subject of much controversy over the past 2000 year history of the Catholic church. That the Pope is the head of the Church is a belief that has not been accepted by other Christian churches. And even on our part, we may not fully understand the implications of who the Pope is. Some think he is sinless. Others give him supernatural power, others believe he cannot make a mistake; others think of him as a man who has too much authority, and some could care less about the Pope.

We are told today in our Gospel that Peter was chosen by Jesus to be the leader of the church. Jesus gave Peter the keys of the kingdom and also tremendous responsibility: WHATEVER YOU BIND UPON EARTH SHALL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN, AND WHATEVER YOU LOOSE UPON EARTH SHALL BE LOOSED IN HEAVEN. That same authority was given to all Popes. And from the time of Peter to Pope Benedict XVI the church has been lead by human beings.

Some of our popes have been great men; not only in piety, but also in vision, but others have been, humanly speaking, almost lacking in any qualifications to lead and strengthen the Church. There have been times of goodness in the church due to them and there have been times of terrible damage. But through all of it the Church has escaped from the jaws of death, which leads us to believe that the church must be divinely guided, or else, like many corporations or associations, it would have folded up over the past 2000 years.

Why has the plan of Jesus worked? The reason is that Jesus is still with the church, especially in the person of the Pope, no matter who he might be. Peter and the others popes are not the successors of Jesus but really his representatives, those who stand in his place. He has authority only in the name of another person -- the person to whom authority really belongs. And so the authority of the Pope is really the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the real rock of the Church. He is the firm foundation. Jesus continues to lead and strengthen the church through the Pope, his vicar on earth.

Peter was chosen head of the Church, not because he had taken courses in leadership and administration, but because he had faith. He was the only one who could answer 100% correctly the question WHO IS JESUS--You are the son of the living God.

Authority is not given to a person to do with as they please. All authority is accountable to God. It must be exercised with God will, and out of human limitations. The best way to use authority is like a servant. Jesus was telling us that all persons who have any authority, whether moms and dads, or teachers, or Presidents or Vice Presidents or whomever are bound to suffer also are called to serve others, not to be served.

Jesus lived on earth only 33 years. He arranged that his teachings and his mercy would be known through human beings like Peter or Benedict XVI. In the Old Testament God always chose human beings to bring his good news and his message to others. Jesus chose 12 apostles as his leaders. But all of us are called in our own way to bring faith and morality to others. Each of us our Christ bearers. Each of us must answer for ourselves: Who do you say that Jesus is?