XXI.O.T : Is 22: 19-23; Rom 11: 33-36; Mt 16: 13-20 

Our readings today are about keys. A key unlocks everything from bank vaults and jewelry boxes to buildings and car doors. Keys represent authority and power. When that power is abused, keys can be taken away by those in higher authority. Parents sometimes take away the keys to the car from a teenager who "messes up."

In today's first reading, God takes away the key from Shebna, the master of the palace of King Hezekiah, and gives that key to a worthier man, Eliakim.

In the Gospel, Jesus gives the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter. Through baptism, all Christians have received a share in the power of the keys to heaven. With that power goes responsibility to witness to the Gospel. We can witness to Jesus and his Kingdom only when we accept him as the Messiah the Son of God, our personal Savior.

When Jesus asked his disciples the question what do people say that I am they said the names of different prophets. The people saw Jesus as a prophet, a spokesperson for God, and no more than that. Each of these was an honorable status, so perhaps Jesus didn’t mind if the people thought of these identifications about him. 

But Jesus was more interested in what the disciples themselves had to say. So, second question, “But who do you say that I am?”It could have been an invitation to disclose their intimate thoughts, though perhaps it was a question about the way they spoke of Jesus to others, how they described him when they were away from the presence of Jesus.   Of course it is a personal question and it demands a personal answer too.  Then Peter, assuming his recognized leadership role in the group, replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That was an immediate identification with the Messiah, who would lead the people and overcome all nations. Jesus was very clear about his own identity and the fact that he was the Messiah. But he was not ready yet to let others know about it; so, he ordered his disciples to keep the secret, because their idea of a Messiah was different than the actual one and he might not be able to do what he needed to do with the wrong expectations about him.

After stating his intention to build his Church on Peter, Jesus promises that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church. Hell vanishes in the face of the power of the Cross.  But these days in Mosul, Iraq, it seems like the gates of the netherworld is prevailing against the Church there. Every day many Christians, including children and women are butchered by the ISIS the Islamic fanatics. What shall we do? Is the promise of Jesus false? Jesus gave us the power to fight the powers of the nether world but we need to use that power. That power can be drawn by prayer only; by praying together for the persecuted part of the Church. It is our duty to take the weapon of prayer and use it against the Satanic powers. We need to pray every day for those Christians living in Islamic countries, because we are not facing what they are facing. So, at the end of the mass for some weeks, we will pray the Prayer to St.Michael the Archangel to defeat the Satan.  

It is said that a Christian is like an elephant that has great power. But since it doesn’t realize its power it can be controlled by a single man, a Mahout, with a small hook. When the elephant realizes that it has so much power, it can no longer be controlled and managed by any single human being. Let’s us realize our power in Christ, and make use of the power of the blood of the lamb that defeated the kingdom of Satan. We need to wake up and be self-conscious Christians.

As we continue with this celebration of the Mass let’s ask the Father to help us acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God as Peter did when he was asked who Jesus was for him.