Fr Jack SJ MD: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 22:19-23

Ps 138

Rom 11:33-36

Mt 16:13-20

Linguistic communication is a fascinating area of study. Attention to how a patient uses language is an important part of every psychiatric evaluation. How and where one stresses or emphasizes a particular syllable, word or phrase may subtly, or not so subtly, affect the meaning, interpretation, and impact of what is being said. Tone of voice reflects the emotional state of the speaker, influences the impact he will have on the hearer, and may predetermine a response. Body language is another homily entirely.

Jesus posed two questions in this Gospel reading. The first was informational, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Jesus’ second question is specific. It is personal. It demanded a personal answer of the apostles and it demands an answer from each of us. That is where the effect of intonation, inflection and vocal stress is significant. How did Jesus ask the question? How did the apostles hear it? How do we hear it? Most critically, how will each of us answer it?

But WHO do you say I am?

But who DO you say I am?

But who do YOU say I am?

But who do you SAY I am?

But who do you say I am?

But who do you say I AM?

This is the most difficult question Jesus asked his apostles and followers. It is the most difficult question he asks us. “Who do you say I am?” . . . place the emphasis in your own mind. Our answer may shift or evolve over time just as vocal emphasis shifts with the context. Everything depends on how and what we answer.

Peter’s answer was brief and spot on. “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” His answer included: You are the Messiah, the Promised One, the One who has ended our time of waiting, and much more. His answer was radical and courageous. Had he proclaimed this publicly, had there been a mole present to go running to the authorities, charges of blasphemy would have followed quickly. At the time the usual penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning. Today religious blasphemy gets the speaker a guest spot on Saturday Night Live. That too is another homily.

The Church answers Jesus’ question every year at the beginning of the Easter Vigil. As he incises the paschal candle the priest proclaims:

"Christ yesterday and today

the beginning and the end

Alpha and Omega

all time belongs to him

and all the ages.

To him be glory and power

through every age for ever."

"The beginning and the end

The Alpha and the Omega."

Only ten words are needed to say everything one needs to know in life. The Church can boldly proclaim this because those of us born since Peter’s radical confession of faith have not had to wonder; we have not had to wait. From the moment we were conceived we have lived in a world in which the promise was fulfilled. From the first instant of life in the womb and continuing until natural death in old age, we were, we are, and will always be, living in the presence of the One for whom the world waited.

Today's first reading and gospel once again illustrate the dependence of the New Testament upon the Old. “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church . . . .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.” Both the image of Peter as gatekeeper and the power invested in Peter to bind or loose sin derive from Isaiah: “I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut when he shuts, no one shall open.”

This "keys to the kingdom" passage in Matthew is controversial to say the least. As one writer who is prone to understatement notes, “The precise interpretation of this passage, on which the claims of the Papacy have been based, has been the subject of much controversy.” One might add it has driven anger, hysteria, polemic, violence, and a lot of snarky hip cocktail party conversation.

Did Jesus intend a linear papal succession? Were Peter and his successors truly invested with the power to forgive or retain sin? It is unlikely the arguments, hostility, or temper tantrums will end in this millennium. The late Fr. Raymond Brown writes. “ . . .given the New Testament evidence pertinent to the growth of the image of Peter, it is not easy for those who reject the papacy to portray the concept of a successor to Peter as contradictory to the New Testament.” Of course that won't stop anyone from trying to argue against the primacy of Peter having been transmitted down the millennia.

WHAT would Jesus want?

What WOULD Jesus want?

What would JESUS want?

What would Jesus WANT?

The intonation dilemma again.

Humans are skilled at transforming personal agendas into God’s revealed will be it justifying war, promoting abortion on demand, excusing economic exploitation, or encouraging all manner of sexual perversion. The moment someone asks, "But what would JEEEEEEZUS (intentional emphasis) do?" it is obvious that the ride is going to get interesting. I may not learn much about what Jesus would do but I am going to learn a lot about the speaker and his or her agenda.

Coming to know God’s will is rarely instantaneous. Coming to know God’s will requires time and a discerning heart. And, we can only know God's will for ourselves. We can't know it for the guy whose behavior we are trying to manipulate or the policy we are trying to implement or prevent.

Imagine that you are walking down a street. Jesus approaches and asks, “But who do YOU say I am?”

Spend this week answering that question in your own words.

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A glass of water on the table. Was trying out a lens I hadn't used in a long time. Long telephoto. I was quite far from the table when I took the shot.