Gospel Reflection

February 22, 2013

Friday – Year of Faith

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

by Rev. Fr. Benjamin “Benjo” Fajota (Vice Rector of the EDSA Shrine)

Mass at Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace (Our Lady of EDSA)

                         

Reading 1 1 Pt 5:1-4

Beloved: I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Gospel Mt 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 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.”

HOMILY

It was the Feast of the Ascension on May 9, 2005 when Pope Benedict XVI was installed as Bishop of Rome at the Basilica of St. John Lutheran. And when he took over the position and succeeded St. Peter as the next Roman Catholic Pope - the head of the universal church - he said that the Pope must always and constantly remind himself, and constantly repeat these words: "Dominus Iesus", which means "Jesus is Lord".

Today, we celebrate a rather interesting feast. We are not honoring a person or an event. We are celebrating a Chair. But of course, we are not celebrating just a piece of furniture. We are celebrating the authority and leadership of the Church. We actually celebrate today the founding of the leadership of the Catholic Church. The Church represents an office, and the Chair represents a position, a leader of the universal church. 

When Peter said to Jesus Christ, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God", and Jesus answered him, "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my heavenly Father", He named him 'Cephas' or 'Petros', which means 'rock'. When Peter revealed the truth about Jesus as the living God, he was given the authority to the Church. And God is telling us that we must cooperate with Him in order that His graces may be handed down to us. 

In the First Reading, we also heard that those of you who have this authority must not lord it over your subjects. Hindi natin ipinapakita ang kapangyarihan natin sa pamamagitan ng ating lakas bilang isang hari o pinuno ng anumang grupo. Parents, in one way or another, are also responsible for their children. But they must not lord it over their children, and instead be good examples of the faith. 'Yon ang dapat makita natin at 'yon ang mas mahalaga. 

In the succeeding lines of the Gospel, when Jesus said, "Upon this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it", Jesus means that the way leading to the netherworld shall not prevail against the victory of Jesus Christ, thus our Church will prevail against the gates of the netherworld. Tayo ay mananaig laban sa kadiliman, laban sa kasamaan. We shall be victorious, because it is the Church of Christ. And this, we must always profess. Like what we heard in our Responsorial Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want." There is no other God, but Christ. 

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, we actually honor Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Shepherd. Amen.