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WORD AMONG US WAU.ORG Reflections
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Meditation: Isaiah 22:19-23
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder. (Isaiah 22:22)
You might wonder why today’s reading from Isaiah is paired with today’s Gospel recounting Peter’s profession of Jesus as the Christ. It’s because Isaiah’s story of Eliakim becoming master of the palace in Jerusalem can help us understand the role that Jesus gave to Peter.
In ancient Israel, the “master of the palace” was the most important assistant to the king. Similar to a prime minister, he could rule the country in the king’s absence. He had the keys to the palace, so he had the authority and ability to open and close doors that gave access to the king (Isaiah 22:22). He was also charged with playing the role of a “father” to the people of Jerusalem, protecting and guiding and leading them in the name of the king (22:21).
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” and makes him the “rock” upon which he would build his Church (Matthew 16:19, 18). By using the image of the keys, Jesus is making Peter the “master of the palace” in the kingdom of God. As holder of the keys to the kingdom, Peter would have the authority to bind and loose—to open and close. As head of the apostles, he also would be, like Eliakim, a father to the Church—its firm foundation, leader, and guide. That’s why we often call his successor, the pope, the “Holy Father”!
Jesus didn’t leave us alone—as a Church or individually. He provided for the entire Church not only when he poured out the Holy Spirit on us but also when he made Peter and his successors the “rock.” The pope is the keeper of the teachings of the Church and a minister of God’s grace and mercy. He is also our father in faith, our guide, and our example. But most of all, he is a reflection of God’s own fatherly care for us, his children.
“Father, thank you for providing for your Church—and me—through Peter and his successors.”
