Weekly Reflection

This week's reflection on Scripture by Father Bob Maguire

Also appearing in Kairos

Sunday, 24 August 2008

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Lord, Your love is eternal

Today's first reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) is about a disgraced civil servant, Shebna, palace steward of King Hezekiah. The Jews had been dragged into yet another coalition against Assyria between 705 and 701 BC.
Isaiah was doing his prophet's job of warning the king and ministers not to rely on alliances. They should get on with the business of establishing God's Kingdom where all citizens, of whatever rank, would live in peace and dignity.
The Jews were meant by God to be a beacon of hope, first in the Middle East, then throughout the world. After the division of the twelve tribes into Northern and Southern Kingdoms in 931 BC Jewish Kings and their relatives were, in the main, interested in what wealth and power they could accumulate for themselves and their families. It is within this context of institutional corruption or sin that Isaiah denounced the indolent and self-serving Shebna. His place would be taken by another public servant, Eliakim.
Isaiah insisted that this Eliakim must do his duty by working to build national life on just and moral foundations. This would be the way, announced Isaiah to prepare wisely for an unknown future, knowing that God is the one who has planned history long ago. Assyria and Egypt would soon pass away, but the Kingdom of God, built in Jewish minds and hearts, would never pass away.
Lord, your love is eternal, do not forsake the work of your hands.
Our gospel passage (Matthew 16:13-20) flows easily from the aforementioned prophecy of Isaiah. This gospel incident took place within sight of a dominating landmark, the fortress of Caesarea Philippi. It was built by the Provincial Governor Phillip to copy the grandiose edifices built by the Romans.
In its shadow, Our Lord announced that He would make St Peter the rock upon which the New Order, The Church, would be built. First, Peter declared Jesus to be God's special and unique agent, the Messiah. Then Jesus commissioned Peter to be the door keeper to the Kingdom.
He wasn't Master or Father, he was door keeper. In this spirit later Popes would rightly describe themselves as Servant of the Servants.
Jesus obviously intended that some in the Church would exercise leadership. Peter and his successors would exercise primary leadership.
There would be leadership, or if you prefer authority, also exercised by the apostles and their successors, the bishops.
There was no intention of a centralist Church. The Pope and the Bishops together, in a college, as they say, would exercise communal authority. Many other voices from the vast numbers of lay people would be raised over the centuries to help Pope and Bishops in their role as doorkeepers.
And there would be suffering, in imitation of Christ, to keep the leaders humble and compassionate.

Read reflections from other Sundays by Father Maguire