21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.-
August 27, 2023
Isaiah 22: 19-23; Romans 11: 33-36; Matthew 16: 13-20
Theme: Christology, Ecclesiology, and the
Sacrament of Confession
As we approach the month of September, it is important to remember
that the Catholic Church has dedicated the month of September to the Word of
God. So, in September, we celebrate the month of the Bible. The Church
encourages all faithful Christians to venerate the Word of God in the Church as
well as in our families. First, in the liturgy of the Mass, we are called to
celebrate the Word of God with reverence and participate in it actively. This
means we should listen attentively when God speaks to us in the scripture
readings and pay attention to the priest or deacon when they interpret the Word
of God to us in homilies. Second, our Mother Church encourages all parishes to
organize Bible Studies to give opportunities to the faithful to meditate, read,
and study the Word of God. Since July 1st of this year when I was
officially appointed your pastor, I have promised you and prepared us to start
a Weekly Bible Study Group in our parish. So, this Friday, September 1st
is the official start. Make sure that you do not miss it and other meetings as
well. Note that our Weekly Bible Study group is not only for the month of
September but for all the months. We will meet every Friday at 6: 00 p.m. in
the office conference room to meditate, study, and share the Sunday Gospel of
that weekend. Third, the Church also urges all families to venerate the Word of
God at home, read it, and share it with family members. I suggest that all our
families have the “family Bible Corner” in our homes. This is a suitable place
that you prepare in one corner of your living room and display an open Bible.
It could be a small table, for example, covered with a white tablecloth (or any
liturgical colors: red, purple, green, or white), well decorated with flowers,
candles, and maybe with a crucifix or rosary). The family Bible Corner should
be visible to anyone who enters the house. Its purpose is to remind the
household members and the guest visitors that the Word of God is the center of your
family. This Family Bible Corner can also be used as the place where the family
meets together for family prayer, Bible sharing, or any gathering.
In the
Gospel today, Jesus did a kind of survey to find out what the people and his
own disciples say that he is. The disciples reported to him that the people thought
he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. For Simon
“Peter” who spoke on behalf of his fellow disciples, Jesus is not whom other
people think but rather the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Because of
Peter’s confession, Jesus promised to build his Church upon him whose new name
“Peter” means “Rock”. Jesus reassured them that the gates of the netherworld
shall not prevail against this Church. He also promised to give Peter the keys
to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever Peter binds shall be bound in heaven, and
whatever he looses on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Through this Gospel, the
Church, our mother, calls us to meditate on three points. The first point is
Christology (when we focus on Peter’s confession regarding Jesus’ divine
identity). The second point is Ecclesiology (when we reflect on the Church that
Jesus promised to build upon Peter.) The third point is the Sacrament of
Confession or Reconciliation (when we meditate on the authority that Jesus gave
to the Church through Peter and his successors to forgive sins or return them).
In the
first point, Christology, we meditate on the divine identity of Jesus. In his question:
“Who do you say that I am?”, Jesus does not expect us to tell him how much we
have learned about him. Rather, he expects you and me to tell him how we relate
to him and how we consider him. Our answers should not be based on our
knowledge of him but rather on our one-on-one relationship with him. The people
of his time confused him with John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets (see v. 14). We probably condemn them for not knowing who Jesus was.
However, when we look closely at how we relate to him, we realize that many of
us do the same. When we do not have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus, we
too confuse his divine identity. The way we live and take care of our personal
relationship with him determines who he really is for us. In this part of the
Gospel, the Church, our Mother, invites us to relate to Jesus as our Messiah, the
Son of God who came to save us.
The second
point is Ecclesiology. Jesus promises to build his Church upon Peter. “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.” (V. 18, NABRE). Jesus
entrusts his Church to Peter (and his successors) who rules over the people of
God together with his fellow apostles (and their successors). Two thousand
years later, our mother Church recognizes the authority of Peter through the
Pope who is the bishop of Rome. Pope Francis is the current successor of Peter.
Just as Peter was the leader and sign of unity for the disciples, Pope Francis
serves as the leader and sign of unity for the bishops and all the faithful. As
a leader, Pope Francis has ultimate authority over the Church as both pastor
and teacher. For example, when the Pope makes an official declaration of
doctrine addressing faith and morals, God ensures the truth of the doctrine.
This is called “infallibility”.
As the
Pope is the successor of Peter, the bishops are the successors of the apostles.
Each bishop is responsible for leading and ministering to the people within
their own area called a “diocese’. For instance, our archbishop Gregory Michael
Aymond is responsible for leading and ministering to the people within the Archdiocese
of New Orleans.
Under the
authority of the bishops are the priests and deacons who help them in their duties
to care for the faithful. The bishops also work together in union with the pope
to address issues concerning the wider Church.
In our
Catholic Church, in addition to the priests and deacons, we also have people
living consecrated life. These people are not ordained but have dedicated their
lives to a unique form of service to the Lord. Among them are nuns, and
brothers who have taken various vows or promises to live a certain lifestyle
dedicated to Christ.
The main
body of the Church of Jesus is the laity. The laypeople are those members who
are not ordained or living consecrated life. They have their own role to play
in the mission of the Church. They are called to seek the Reign of God in their
everyday lives wherever they live or work. From their baptism, they are called
to bless the world by uniting their everyday lives to the sacrifice Christ made
on the cross and by offering their lives to God.
At our
local Church, as members of Our Lady Star of the Sea, each of us is also the
rock upon whom the Church of Jesus stands. Let us work together to maintain and
always be the Church of Jesus. Only when we work together as one then we will
bear witness that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of living God.
The third point
that our Gospel gives us to reflect on is the Sacrament of Confession
(Reconciliation). Jesus does not promise only to build his Church upon Peter,
he also gives him the power to forgive or return sins. “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.” (V. 19,
NABRE). We are called to always be part of the Church. However, sin separates
us from God and from his Church. Jesus instituted the sacrament of confession
to restore us back to his Church whenever we are out through sin. He
empowers the Church through Peter and his successors, pope, bishops, and
priests to absolve sin and enable faithful back to the Church community. There
are three things that we seek in the confession: forgiveness of our sins,
reconciliation with God and with our fellow humans whom we offended, and
healing of spiritual, emotional, or psychological wounds that sin causes.
First, in the
confession, we implore Jesus to forgive our sins. The way we go to our shower
rooms and take a shower to clean our body from any stain of dirt is the same
way we need to go to the confessional room to take a spiritual shower and clean
our souls from any stain of sins. On the day of our baptism, we wore white garments
and were given a lit candle. We were told to bring the white garment unstained
and keep our lamp lit on the day when Jesus returns. These two symbolisms call us to always
confess our sins and make sure that we are ready, without sins, because nobody
knows when our Lord will return. Confession clears all our sins and makes us
ready to welcome our Lord Jesus any time he comes to take us with him.
Second, because
sin breaks our relationships with God and with our fellow humans whom we hurt,
in the sacrament of confession, we seek two reconciliations: vertical
reconciliation (reconciliation with God) and horizontal reconciliation
(reconciliation with our brothers and sisters). Note that the priest who
listens to our confessions plays two roles. First, in vertical reconciliation,
the priest represents Jesus who stands on behalf of God whom we offend through
our sins. When we confess our sins to a priest, we confess to Jesus himself who
is our mediator with God. The priest who acts in persona Christi accepts
our confession, absolves our sins, and reconciles us with God. Second, talking
about horizontal reconciliation, note that for some reason, most of the time it
is difficult and even complicated to meet face to face all the people whom we
hurt and ask for forgiveness to seek reconciliation. In this case, in
confession, the priest stands for all the people who are offended by our sins.
He listens to us, accepts our apologies, forgives us, and reconciles with us on
behalf of these people. So, confession restores our relationships with God and
with our brothers and sisters.
Third, because
sins can cause emotional, psychological, or spiritual wounds, in confession, we
also seek healing. We go to the hospital and speak with a doctor to seek
physical healing. Likewise, we need to go to the Church and speak with a priest
to seek emotional, psychological, or spiritual healing through confession.
Sometimes the process of healing takes time. In this case, I advise “us” to
continue the process in a spiritual/psychological direction with the same
confessor priest or with a professional therapist.
The sacrament of
confession is a very important sacrament that Christians need to use regularly
whenever sin separates us from God and the Church. We should not feel ashamed
or afraid to approach God through confession.
The
liturgy of this Mass teaches us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the
living God. He initiated his Church so that we his people gather together and
pray to God. Knowing that we are human
beings and many times we sin, he instituted the sacrament of confession to
bring us back to God whenever we go astray through our sins. Let us ask
ourselves these questions: Do I confess that Jesus is the Messiah? Do I come to
Jesus’ Church (our parish, Our Lady Star of the Sea), especially on weekends?
Do I use the sacrament of confession regularly? Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
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