Entrance Antiphon
Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
save the servant who trusts in you, my God.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.
First Reading: Isaiah 22:19-23. A reading from the prophet Isaiah
I place the key of the House of David upon his shoulder.
Thus says the Lord of hosts to Shebna, the master of the palace:
I dismiss you from your office,
I remove you from your post,
and the same day I call on my servant
Eliakim son of Hilkiah.
I invest him with your robe,
gird him with your sash,
entrust him with your authority;
and he shall be a father
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the House of Judah.
I place the key of the House of David
on his shoulder;
should he open, no one shall close,
should he close, no one shall open.
I drive him like a peg
into a firm place;
he will become a throne of glory
for his father’s house.
Responsorial Psalm: Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
- I thank you, Lord, with all my heart,
you have heard the words of my mouth.
Before the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple. (R.)
- I thank you for your faithfulness and love
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul. (R.)
- The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands. (R.)
Second Reading: Romans 11:33-36. A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans
From him, through him, and in him are all things.
How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, the rock on which I will build my Church; the gates of hell will not hold out against it. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
You are Peter, to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. 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.’ Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
REFLECTION
by Dianne Bergant CSA
The readings highlight two different but related themes: the character of our understanding of Christ, and our understanding of discipleship that flows from it. Christological reflections reach a climax in the question posed to the disciples: Who do you say I am? In this liturgical context, the same question is posed to us. Who is this one who multiplies loaves of bread, who walks on turbulent waters, who breaks the boundaries that separate insider from outsider? It is none other than the messiah.
When Peter testified to Jesus’ identity, it was a relevant religious and political statement, for messianic expectation was a burning question at that time. But what does it mean for the average Christian today? Many believers consider messianic expectation a theological theme that belongs to the past. They feel that it is difficult to get excited about the coming of someone who we believe has already come and gone. If Jesus were to pose this question today, how would we answer?
Like Peter, we too may have good intentions, but when they are put to the test we realise that that was all that they were – good intentions. Still, we should not be discouraged by our weaknesses, for just as Peter’s failure did not deter God from entrusting him with power and authority, so our failures need not be obstacles to God’s grace in our lives. We watch God entrust the church to individuals who are weak and undependable, and we realise that judgments are inscrutable and God’s ways unsearchable.