Authority, Responsibility, and the foundation of our faith.

Friends, today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 16:13-20) takes us to a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry, a moment that is often described as the heart of the Gospel message. In the backdrop of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus poses a question to his disciples that reverberates through the ages: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” This seemingly simple question opens up profound avenues of reflection for us today.

You see, Jesus wasn’t merely interested in public opinion. He was using this question as a launchpad to lead his disciples, and us, to a deeper awareness of his true identity. He wanted them, and us, to confront the essential question of our personal faith journey: “Who do you say I am?”

Peter’s response, with the words that have echoed through history, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” is nothing short of a confession that encapsulates the essence of Christianity. In this moment, Peter becomes the spokesperson for all believers, voicing what lies at the heart of our faith – the recognition that Jesus is not merely a wise teacher or a charismatic leader; he is the long-awaited Messiah, the very Son of the living God.

Notice how Jesus responds to Peter’s confession. He tells him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.” This recognition, this confession, is not the result of human reasoning or deduction, but a divine revelation. It is as if Jesus is saying, “Peter, you have tapped into something beyond the ordinary, something that comes from the depths of God’s own truth.”

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to bestow upon Peter a profound responsibility – the keys of the kingdom of heaven. In the ancient world, the keys symbolises authority, a power to open and close. By entrusting Peter with the keys, Jesus is establishing him as the steward of his Church, the visible sign of his continued presence on earth. This is a radical act of empowerment, but it is not an empowerment for self-aggrandisement. It is an empowerment for service, for leadership, and for the mission of spreading the Gospel.

And then Jesus adds something astonishing: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.” This isn’t some magical incantation, but a profound reminder that the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has the authority to make decisions that align with the will of God. It is a call to discernment, to seek the wisdom of heaven in our earthly actions.

Friends, this gospel challenges us to examine our own personal confession of faith. Who do we say Jesus is? Is he a peripheral figure in our lives, or is he the center, the Messiah, the Son of the living God? And as we answer that question, we must also embrace the responsibility that comes with it. We are not passive observers of this faith; we are called to become active participants, entrusted with the keys of the kingdom.

Just as Peter was called to be a steward of the Church, so too are we called to stewardship. We are called to open doors of mercy, to close the gates of prejudice, to bind wounds of the broken, and to loose the chains of injustice. We are called to be witnesses of the Gospel, to bring Christ’s light to a world often shrouded in darkness.

Let us open our hearts to the divine revelation of Christ’s identity and respond with the same boldness as Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And may we, like Peter, embrace our role in building the Church, in binding and loosing, in being instruments of God’s grace.

Finally, as we receive the Eucharist today, let us remember that it is Christ himself who gives us the strength to live out our confession, to carry the keys of the kingdom, and to be living witnesses of the Son of the living God.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever. Amen.

Happy Sunday
Fr. James Anyaegbu