Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
In the Hands of Weak People
Authority in the Church
You Are the Christ
Greeting
Through Jesus,
God has entrusted the Church
to weak human hands.
May the Spirit of the Lord guide
the leaders and members of the Church
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- In the Hands of Weak People
We may wonder at times how come that Jesus put his Church into the hands of weak, frail people, both in our leaders and in us, the members. Still, God trust us and our leaders and promises to be with us until the end of the ages. God seems to trust us more than we at times trust him. Let us ask Jesus present here that we and our leaders may live up to that trust.
- Authority in the Church
Who is the Church for us? Not only the pope and the bishops. They are the foundations, entrusted by Christ to lead and preside and serve, keep order and unify; but we too, with them, are the Church. It is our responsibility to cooperate with them and in all trust and maturity to share in their burden and to build up the Church with them. Together we are the Church of Christ. Together we now celebrate our faith in Christ.
- You Are the Christ
If we could see Jesus standing here before us, a man of flesh and blood, and he would ask us: “Who do you say I am?” what answer would we give him? Who is he to you? He is here among us. Do we see in him our Savior and our Lord? Is he the meaning of all we live for? Let us give him an answer of faith here in this Eucharist.
Penitential Act
Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord
that our faith and trust
are often hesitant and weak.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, we believe in you
for you are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we trust that you pardon us,
for you have commissioned your Church
to bring your forgiveness to the world:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we rely on your promise
that the powers of evil can never overcome
the people you have won for yourself:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, we trust in you
that in your great mercy you forgive us.
Help us bring your forgiveness to others
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us thank the Father for our faith in Jesus
and for trust in the leadership of the Church
(pause)
God our Father,
we give you thanks that you have gifted us
with faith in your Son Jesus Christ,
our Savior and our Lord.
Make this faith grow in us,
that it may weather all questions and difficulties.
Give us also a great understanding
and trust in the leadership of the Church,
that together with our Pope and our bishops
we may strengthen the community
of the faithful of your Church
and bear witness with them to the world
of your saving mercy and love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading (Is 22:19-23): The Leader Is Responsible to God
God entrusts his work to people. He gives them “the key” of authority. They are responsible to him and to the people.
Reading 1: Is 22:19-23
Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
“I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
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.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family.”
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Second Reading (Rom 11:33-36): To God Be Glory Forever
Paul has explained how God offers salvation both to the Jews and to pagans. He praises God for his great wisdom.
Reading 2: Rom 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given the Lord anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.
Alleluia: Mt 16:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel (Mt 16:13-20): Peter Is Our Rock. Who Is Jesus For Us?
To Jesus’ question, “Who am I for you?” Peter professes his faith: “You are the Savior, the Son of the living God.” Jesus lets him share in his own authority for the service of his fellow apostles and the whole Church.
Gospel: Mt 16:13-20
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
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 Christ, 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.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Introduction to the Creed
With Peter and the whole Church
we express our faith in God
and in Jesus, our Savior. R/ I believe…
Intercessions
Let us pray to God our Father from whom comes all authority in heaven and on earth, and let us say: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For the Holy Father, Pope N. that the Holy Spirit may strengthen him to lead the Church with wisdom and courage, in coresponsibility with all bishops, let us pray to the Lord: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all bishops and priests, that they may speak to the People of God words of hope and encouragement; that they may be the hand that raises up those who fall and cannot go further, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all Christians, that the Lord Jesus Christ may remain the cornerstone on which their lives are built, and that they may build up the Church by their loving and dedicated service, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For the mighty of this earth, the leaders of nations, that they may not abuse power or resort to oppression or violence and defend the poor and the people without voice, let us pray. R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all those in positions of authority and influence, for parents and educators, for reporters and programmers in the mass media, that they may respect human dignity and promote truth, justice and peace, let us pray. R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
Lord our God, help us to respect each person as someone for whom Christ has given his life. Let your Son come alive in our midst, that we may build up one another in faith and courage, trust and hope, for he is our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
give us in this Eucharist
the body of your Son,
that we may become more and more
the body of the Church,
the living community of your Son.
Through him we offer you
all honor and glory for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Among us is Jesus, the Savior, the Son of the living God. With him we offer to God our Father this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
We stand before the Father in heaven
and pray now with Jesus our Lord
the prayer he himself has taught us. R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from our lack of faith
and from the evil of every sin.
Give us the peace and trust
that come from knowing
that Jesus is alive among us
as our Lord and safe guide.
Reassure us that with him
there is nothing to fear
and that with him we can build
the kingdom of service and love among us,
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus Christ our Lord,
our Savior and the Son of the living God.
Happy are we who believe in him
and who receive him as our food of life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
God of power and might,
your Son Jesus Christ has come here among us
without any display of power
but rather as the humble servant
of his brothers and sisters.
Let those who bear in the Church
the burden of authority
become more like your Son.
Unconcerned about power and prestige,
may they reflect the attitude of your Son,
who came not to be served but to serve.
Let this be their way to become great
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We have experienced in this Eucharist
a bit of the unity of the Church.
We have felt one in Christ.
After Christ and under him,
the principle of unity in love and service
is the pope, and with him the bishops.
With them we are called
to continue the mission of Christ
in the Church and in the world.
May God bless you all for this task,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the love and peace of Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.
Reflection :
Aug 27
Matthew 16: 13-20
Risk everything in order to gain everything
In the relative safety of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples two questions: first, what popular opinion about his him is; second, who they think he is. Popular opinion was that Jesus spoke for God, like the prophets.
So Jesus asks the disciples “who do you say that I am?” The “you” is emphatic. This cuts to the core of the disciples’ relationship to Jesus and moves the question to a very different level. Peter blurts out the right words, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But when Jesus explains his Messiahship means his suffering Peter says, in effect, “no way.”
Thus, the second part focusses on the identity of Peter. Like biblical Israel, Peter’s identity is that of the one, in spite of his short comings, who is mysteriously chosen to receive divine revelation and to become foundational. With his deficiencies, Peter is singled out for Divine Revelation. One remembers that earlier in the gospel, Jesus thanked God, “because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” He continues, “no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” The point is this: if you are willing, God will make you able. Peter loved Jesus and was willing for the sake of that love. God made him able for the task ahead.
Seeing Jesus as he is, is the why of the questions in the Gospel. Not surprisingly, the Transfiguration follows soon after Peter’s confession. Peter, James, and John glimpse Jesus as he is in the fullness of his identity. For Peter, and for us, identity begins with knowing who Jesus is. To know him, we “Turn our eyes upon Jesus”: transfigured on the mountain and crucified on the cross. To confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of God is to be implicated in why he suffered and was crucified. “And sooner or later,” writes Thomas Merton, “if we follow Christ, we have to risk everything in order to gain everything.”
Today’s gospel teaches us about identity, about who Jesus is and who, by confessing him as Messiah, who Peter will become. Peter represents every believer who confesses Jesus. A disciple’s identity is profoundly connected to the identity of the Lord.
Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone he was the Christ. The reason is meant for all today: He didn’t want hearsay – human testimony. He wanted people to come to him because they heard the Word of God, not the word of men. Thus, the disciples will proclaim true word and true Jesus.