Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time / Msgr. Owen F. Campion
The Sunday Readings
The first section of the Book of Isaiah provides this weekend’s Mass with its first reading.
The author of this section of Isaiah lived when the southern Hebrew kingdom, or the kingdom of Judah, still existed. Only later was this kingdom, and the other Hebrew kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, overwhelmed by outside invaders.
As has been and is so often the case with national rulers, the king of Judah governed the country with the assistance of aides and subordinates. The principal assistant wore a distinctive badge, which was a key, to indicate to all that he acted on the king’s behalf.
In this reading, God, speaking through the prophet, stated that a chief minister would be selected to serve the king and to carry out the royal will. This official would wear the key.
An important point in this reading is that God clearly intervenes in human lives and uses human agents to accomplish his will and to communicate with his people.
The prophet, the king and the chief minister were all in the roles of human agents commissioned to bring God to the people and the people to God.
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans again is the source of the second reading. Passages from this letter have been proclaimed for the past several weekends.
This weekend’s reading is a testimony to the majesty of God. As such, it is a great profession of Paul’s own faith. The Apostle emphasizes God’s infinite transcendence, noting that his judgments are “inscrutable” and his ways are “unsearchable” (Rom 11:33).
For its third reading this weekend, the Church offers us a passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel. It is an especially descriptive and enlightening reading.
The occasion occurs at Caesarea Philippi, a place in Galilee northeast of Capernaum. At the time of Jesus, the place was a resort. The River Jordan forms here from springs, and small creeks flow from it. Still picturesque, it is a modern, popular place for relaxation and for delighting in nature.
Central to the reading is St. Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus. The Lord asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). Jesus identified with the “Son of Man” of the Old Testament, a title used in reference to a special agent of God, who was unfailingly true to God.
Peter replied that the people are confused. Some saw Jesus as a prophet, such as John the Baptist or even Elijah.
The Lord pressed the question, and Peter declared that Jesus was the “Son of the living God,” a profound proclamation of the Lord’s own divinity (Mt 16:16). Peter had faith and this gave him insight and wisdom.
Reflection
It has been a long time since the prophets were concerned about the danger facing the two Hebrew kingdoms because of the threat of foreign invasions. It has been a long time since the contemporaries of Jesus faced their problems.
But the revelation of God in his holy word in all times and places provides solutions to problems, or the way to live with those problems and to prevail in peace of mind, confidence and a sense of purpose.
Jesus did not come into the world with God’s message of hope and then left it behind. He designated the Apostles, and their successors in the Church, to carry on his mission for all the generations that would live in the future, including our own.
The last reading, from St. Matthew’s Gospel, describes the moment when the Lord set this process in motion, when he chose Peter to be the chief spokesman of the message. It began a succession that endures today in Pope Leo XIV.
The Church, guided by Peter’s successor, is our link with Christ and with the wisdom of God that guides us through every difficulty. †
The Criterion will not have an issue next week due to its summer schedule. The reflection of Msgr. Owen Campion for Sunday, August 30, will be posted at www.archindy.org/campion. †