THEME: Exercise your ministry in love and sincerity.
Last week Sunday, St. Paul reminded all Christians that the God’s call and gifts are irrevocable. God chooses us in our human imperfections and strengthens us for mission. However, when God empowers us for His work, some of us easily forget our past and even have the audacity to want to usurp God’s authority. The readings for today call on every Christian to exercise his or her ministry in love and sincerity.
The first reading forms part of the book of the Prophet Isaiah which is called the book of judgment. Isaiah reminds all who hold positions of importance especially spiritual positions and who arrogate to themselves certain privileges that make them demy- gods to beware because their fall is imminent. Isaiah told Shebna “The Lord will remove you from office and bring you down from your high position” (Isaiah 22:19). Like God did to Shebna, He is doing same to many men of God today.
As if that is not enough, “The Lord said to Shebna when that happens, I will send for my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will put your official robe and belt on him and give him all the authority you had. He will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah” (Isaiah 22:20-21). It is interesting to note that in our pride, we forget the God who has made us what we are is able to take that glory and our ending becomes worsened than the first.
In the light of this, the Psalmist is right when it says, “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away” (Psalm 138:6). Therefore, God’s purposes are not defeated through the infidelity of his human instruments. God can replace a faithless agent by another who is faithful to him.
In the second reading, St. Paul as a theologian confesses the inadequacy of his work. He says, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor” (Romans 11:33-34)? St. Paul was overwhelmed at the riches and wisdom of God and he draws the attention of all in positions of importance to be humble to draw from this fountain of wisdom. Like Shebna in the first reading, any leader especially in the household of God who fails to acknowledge the depth of God’s wisdom will be stripped of his position and reduced to nothing for who are we to dictate to God what He should do?
Again, by asking all these questions, St. Paul is humbled by the fact that God has condescend so low in order to make men the dispensers of His mysteries. This should make all religious leaders humble and avoid the tendency of making themselves celebrities in the household of God.
The foundation of the Church is dependent on Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi. Jesus took his disciples to a Gentile territory, in a region of Caesarea Philippi. They were about 120 miles from Jerusalem in the northern part of Palestine. The region was strongly identified with various religions: it has been a center for Baal worship. It was in the midst of this pagan superstition that Peter confessed Jesus as the Son of God. And it was probably within sight of Caesar’s temple that Jesus announced a surprise: He would not yet establish His Kingdom, but He would build His Church.
I am wondering why Jesus will ask such a question in a pagan dominated territory. What answer was he expecting? Jesus wanted to make the disciples aware of the fact that a true experience of him is not dependent on popular opinion but a right confession of who he is. This is basic to salvation. One thing is clear: we can never make a true decision about Jesus Christ by opinion polls even though some men of God do. The important thing is not what others say but what you and I personally say about Jesus. The decisions of the crowd can never be a substitute for personal decisions about who Jesus is.
In today's Gospel we also hear of the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The image of the keys is probably drawn from today's first reading from Isaiah 22:15-25 where Eliakim, who succeeds Shebnah as master of the palace, is given "the key of the house of David," which he authoritatively "opens" and "shuts" (Isaiah 22:22).
Like Eliakim, Jesus assured Peter “And so I tell you, Peter: you are rock and on this foundation I will build my Church and not even death will ever be able to overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). In the midst of the challenges of the Church today, let us take heart and realize that Peter is given the keys that unlock the gates of heaven. Our faith assures us that Hell will not prevail against the church because God will be powerfully at work in it, revealing his purposes for it and imparting the heavenly power to fulfill these purposes.
Everyone at some stage must come to Caesarea Philippi and answer the question, "You, who do you, say I am?" Where are the Caesarea Philippi places in my life where I have been challenged to identify Christ for whom he really is for me, for the Church and for the world?
In sum, I am on my way to Caesarea Philippi to answer Jesus because no follower of Jesus can escape the question that Jesus asks today: “Who do you say that I am?” We have to answer individually. No one can do it for us. We can only answer this question with Peter’s faith namely sincerity and Love for, sincerity and love are the foundation upon which our Church is built. Jesus is waiting for you.
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