Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 27, 2017 - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Isa 22:19-23; Rom 11:33-36; Matt 16:13-20]"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." [Matthew]
Whatever may be said of Catholicism (and there is a lot said and to be said) the world knows that the Catholic Church and the successor of Peter - the Pope - are identified with each other. Historically, that took awhile to develop, and the existence of the Orthodox Churches is evidence that the development is still going on. Nevertheless, the Latin dictum is still in force, Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia (Wherever Peter is, the Church is). The Pope is a universal figure and the Church with its more than a billion members is all over this planet.
When I was in grade school, the Pope seemed more like just the supreme leader for Catholics. The election of Pope St. John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council seemed to open the reality of the Catholic Church and the Pope to the whole world. Pope Bl. Paul VI opened the door a bit more by traveling to the Holy Land. Pope St. John Paul II's travels completely opened the papacy (and the Church) to the world. This is a development that is very unsettling to some Catholics and exhilirating to others. What is happening to our Church?
The different styles of leadership do tend to leave us wondering. It's as if we are all riding in the same car, but the drivers switch from time to time, which can make for a different ride! But today's gospel scripture makes it clear that Jesus intended Peter (and his successors) to lead the Church. At the same time, without the faithful people, there is no Church for Peter to lead. We are all in this together. Our present Pope, Francis, seems to stop the car all the time to get out and say hello to all kinds of people, some of whom we might be uneasy about allowing on the ride. How flexible is our vehicle? At the same time, the Pope and all of us must answer the same question from Jesus: "Who do you say that I am?" It is the Pope's job to help us answer that question. AMEN
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