Gospel Lectio Divina for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 27, 2023
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
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.
MEDITATE
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Because Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus founded his Church upon him. Therefore, the Catholic Church is founded upon the proclamation of the truth that Jesus is the Son of the living God. That is what unites Catholics, who were the first Christians. We do not need to change anything about the Catholic teachings in order to obtain more unity. If striving for greater unity causes us to abandon the true meaning of Christ’s teaching, then forget about unity and live Christ’s teachings because the latter is more important. But the truth is we will not lose unity if we stand by Christ’s teachings. In fact, following Christ’s teachings will lead to greater unity. The Gospels are not poetry that could be interpreted whatever way suits us best. It’s the word of God, and it’s straightforward, not ambiguous.
Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.
Peter did not come to know that Jesus was the son of God through his own intellect or merit. It was revealed to him by the Father. All of the most essential truths in the Bible are given to us by God, so none of us can have a reason to boast about finding them or figuring them out ourselves. It was important for Jesus to make this clear to Peter since he was to be the head of the Church, and it is important for the head of the Church to remain humble. The same goes for all of us who choose to follow Christ’s teaching. If we remain humble, God will reveal to us the Truth. The humbler we are the more Truth he will reveal to us.
Upon this rock, I will build my church.
In choosing a leader for his Church, Christ had to choose someone who was humble and strong, like a rock. This leader had to be humble enough to know everything entrusted to him was from God. The leader also had to be strong enough to hold steadfast when tempted to change the truths revealed to the Church. He had to be humble in knowing that the truth revealed to the Church, even though entrusted to him, was not his truth but God’s. But he also had to be confident enough in that truth to not budge when powerful tempests hit the Rock. Standing on the Rock that is the Catholic Church is a source of courage for those who know the strength of that Rock. When we stand on the Rock, we can also be confident that we are right because we can know the truth we stand upon comes from God and not our own reasoning or conclusions.
So, not only did God give us Scripture, but he also gave us The Church. God knows how easily we can get lost, and how confusing things can get living in this world. His Word, Tradition, and the Church are the strong pillars he gave us to stand upon when storms come. No matter what we do on our own, we will remain fallen. Only through Christ’s redemptive power can we be saved. We cannot survive on our own. That is why Jesus gave us the Rock, the Church. No society will ever be perfect in this fallen world, but, with the Church, any society can be redeemed. Any person can be redeemed. We so often think we can fix all of our problems on our own, whether problems in society, problems in our families, or personal problems. But we cannot. That is why Christ gave us the Church. It will always be there to fall back upon no matter how far we stray because the gates of the netherworld will never prevail against it.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The power of Confession is real. Here, in this Sunday’s Gospel passage, is where Jesus confers that power to Peter and the apostles. No matter what other people tell me, I sense the power of my sins being forgiven when the priest says they are forgiven. Jesus gave the keys to heaven to his Church, no one else. We either believe it or we don’t. But the Church has to continue to be the Rock, to keep Christ’s teachings intact.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Thank you for all of your gifts. Thank you for the sacraments, for the Church, and for the papacy. I am sorry for all of the times I failed to proclaim that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. We all need the hope you give. The keys to heaven have been given to your Church here on earth. Help us to believe it, and give the Church Militant the strength to make as many people as possible into members of the Church Triumphant. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
The Word of God is a gift from heaven. We can try to determine what “the universe” is trying to say to us, but all we will really hear and see is what we want to hear and see. Scripture gives a clear and distinct voice to listen to, one that can be distinguished from our own. This is the way God designed it for those who believe in him: If we believe, Scripture will be a light upon our path. To help us hear his voice in this confusing world, he gave us Scripture, Tradition, and the Church to teach them to us.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com
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