Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 23, 2020 - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Isa 22:19-23; Rom 11:33-36; Matt 16:13-20]"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." [Jesus] 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......" [Matthew]
How many of us have the courage to ask a friend or two what other people are saying about us? It seems clear that Jesus' reputation differed widely during his own time! The reactions reported by the disciples are an indication of that. At least those reports are religious in nature in that they refer to prophets. We know that his reputation with the scribes and Pharisees was that of a dangerous preacher! To the Roman authorities, Jesus appeared as a suspect revolutionary preaching another "kingdom" than what Caesar ruled.
In the scene from today's gospel, Peter speaks what is the real truth, a truth that can come only by faith. Jesus is "the Christ, the son of the living God." Jesus' response to Peter's confession of faith is to make him [Peter] the "rock" on which his [Jesus'} church will be built. Catholic tradition tends to focus on the institution of the papacy in regard to this passage. That is understandable, given the importance of that role in our church. But this may obscure a very important element: the faith, not just of the pope, but of every Christian. Without faith, Jesus is simply a wandering ethical preacher with roots in Nazareth in Galilee who said inspiring things and brought about some dramatic healings which upset religious authorities and the Romans and was crucified as a lesson to others!. Literature contemporary with the gospels indicates there were others in his time who did things like that. It took faith to realize that Jesus was more than he might appear to be on an ordinary level!
The most important thing a pope can do is not to rule and govern a big religious organization. The most important thing is to give an example of faith to us all. If I, at 77 years of age, find it a challenge to be religious superior in a small Dominican community in Lubbock, TX, I cannot imagine the burden of an 83 year old man tasked with leading a flock that numbers more than a billion!! This can happen only with faith in Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God. AMEN