Notes:
August 27th
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Son of the living God: What is God calling you to?
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082723.cfm
You are Peter, and to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 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" (Matt. 16:13-20).
The Church should be certain that what it tells men to believe and to practice is what God wanted them to believe and practice. This assurance is provided by the foundation-stone of Christ's Church, the head of the Apostolic College, Peter. Christ made Peter the guarantor of the Church's stability by giving him the power of freedom from error when teaching the Church officially.
Who do you say Jesus is? What mediocrity in your life are you justifying and where do you excel that God is calling you to?
What do you think sets you apart from others? Who do you think you are, and who do others say you are? Who do you think you could be if you tried harder?
Jesus’ church is the community that he will gather and that will have Peter as its solid foundation. This function of Peter consists in his being witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The gates of the netherworld will not prevail against the church of Jesus, and the netherworld is conceived of as a walled city whose gates will not close in upon the church of Jesus.
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