Fr. Rick Spicer

If there is one passage in scripture that seems to define our Catholic faith, it would be what Jesus said to Peter in this gospel passage. “I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it.” He then added, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Jesus said this after Peter affirmed him as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Many of us were around when Vatican II ended 55 years ago and witnessed a liturgical revolution that surprised us. The Mass went from Latin to the language of the assembly so they could participate, the altar was turned around, and the Eucharistic fast was reduced down to one hour.

But that wasn’t all that changed. Through its history, the papacy changed as well. The first Vatican council, which met in 1868, defined the pope as being infallible; a dogma of our Church, which states that papal authority is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine handed down in scripture and tradition. Contrary to what many think, not everything said by the pope is infallible, but since that council, the papacy has achieved an authority and influence never before seen in church history. That certainly has been the case for popes in our lifetime.

When he was pope, John Paul II once said, “In the course of 2000 years, these words, ‘You are Peter’ have been spoken 264 times to the ears and conscience of a fragile and sinful man. Two hundred and sixty four times a new Peter was set at the side of the first one to be the foundation stone of the Church. The last time, it was to me that the promise of Caesarea Philippi was repeated and it is in the office of Peter that I am in your midst. With what message?

“The same one that Peter proclaimed. Peter, ardent but fearful, the friend, the renegade, the penitent, had just received the Holy Spirit. And with the force of the Spirit he proclaims to a Jerusalem full of pilgrims: ‘God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’

“All that Peter will say up to the last confession on the hill of the Vatican, which crowns that of Caesarea Philippi, is reduced to this sentence: All that the Successor of Peter must say is perhaps contained in these simple words: ‘God made him Lord.’ Fundamentally, it is what the Pope feels: the sweet and urgent duty of proclaiming, wherever he passes, with the power and fervor of one who announces good news.”

The authority of the pope doesn’t belong to the human office holder; it belongs to the office itself and more profoundly to God. By entrusting the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter, Jesus in effect was saying that God would give him and his successors the knowledge and authority to act upon his behalf as the head of the community of believers.

266 men have done what Peter did. They served as Bishop of Rome, which put them in the unique position of being the visible head of the Church. In the course of time, many were called upon to settle differences that would arise.

These readings indicate that religious leadership is a sacred trust and that the religious leader appointed by God is accountable to God. Because Shebna didn’t faithfully fulfill his charge, God relieved him of his responsibilities and gave them to Eliakim. He placed the key of the House of David upon his shoulder.  Likewise, centuries later, Jesus placed the keys to the kingdom of heaven upon Peter’s shoulders and that of his successors. Peter’s responsibility wasn’t managerial; it was juridical. His task was to interpret the law for the rest of the faith community.

Many popes have donned the mantle of prophet, proclaiming clearly and constantly the truth that saves and the values that matter. To put it theologically, Pope Francis as the 266^th successor to Peter is literally a chip off the old rock, today’s successor of the original rock.

An important role of the Holy Father and the bishops whom he appoints is to preserve the faith of the Church from error. In today’s culture, heavily influenced by secularism and relativism, questions like what Jesus raised in this gospel are often debated and the opinions aired are often not true. For us Christians, truth is not determined by public opinion but by divine revelation.

Every bishop is true head of the Church in his own diocese, holding authority directly from Christ, not as a delegate for the pope. While the pope as bishop of Rome has supreme teaching authority in the Church, every bishop is the chief teacher in his diocese. Together they provide us with what is called the magisterium, the teaching authority of the Church.

This authority has remained intact through twenty centuries of popes, giving the Catholic Church a truly amazing record of unbroken unity of faith, worship and governance, in spite of its members’ many failings. This is the glory of the Church: we don’t get angry or rebellious or lose faith in God or in the church because a particular pope or bishop or pastor doesn’t lean as we do. We accept the human in our Church’s teachings and governance without denying the divine. We respect the divine in the human and accept the human in the divine. And we glory in the mix!

A bit of background to this unusual gospel: Jesus withdrew to a region outside of Israel, where he met a Canaanite woman who pleads for help. At first, he ignores her with the excuse that he was sent “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the mother persisted. “Lord, help me.” She and Jesus then enter into a colorful dialogue. His harsh response sounds like a put down but her snappy reply prompts Jesus to commend her, “O woman, great is your faith!”

Maybe the words of Isaiah went through his mind. “Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice about to be revealed.” Those who seek to be God’s people must act justly and do the right thing. Jesus realized that the Lord’s house would be called a house of prayer for all peoples, including this Canaanite woman.

Jesus’ initial attitude toward this woman was a classic example of bigotry and prejudice. The Canaanites were ancient enemies of the Israelites. What has occurred in our country this summer since the untimely death of George Floyd in Minneapolis is a stark reminder that the threads of bigotry, prejudice and racism are still woven into the fabric of our society despite the progress we have made since the days when segregation prevailed in the Deep South.

At birth, we have no choice about our race, ethnicity, or gender. No one is biased at birth. That isn’t in our genes. Racism, prejudice and bigotry are learned and they can be unlearned just as a file can be deleted from a computer. 

Charles Chaput, a Native American who recently retired as the Archbishop of Philadelphia, once noted, “Racism is a poison of the soul and sadly it is the ugly original sin of our country, an illness that never has fully healed.” Despite the belief we hold that all peoples are created equal, not everyone is treated equally in our country with respect. 

Two weeks ago, I allowed 50 black crosses to be displayed as a sad reminder of that truth. Had any of these young people been Caucasian, I doubt they would have met such a fate. I never expressed support for any protest movement although that is how some parishioners viewed the display. Their negative knee jerk reaction suggests to me that some Christians have yet to honestly live up to the precept God demands of us to love and respect one’s neighbor and view all life as being sacred from birth to natural death.

We have a choice when it comes to treating one another. We can do so civilly or rudely. The manner in which some reacted rudely to the display of crosses with threats to leave the parish did not alter my stance. Those who argue that the church is no place for political issues are sidestepping the real issue, namely, our obligation to treat one another with respect. For me, being political means speaking up for the well being of all peoples. That isn’t the same as politics, which so often fails to do so.

The late Nelson Mandela of South Africa suffered much from the racial tensions that existed there under apartheid. He noted, “ No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

The world will certainly be a better place if everyone kept in mind the greatest commandment: we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. From that commandment springs forth the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

As pope, St. Paul VI often advised, “If you want peace, work for justice.” Peace will only exist when we properly address the injustice and causes of racism. In his recent statement on racism, Archbishop Etienne noted, “The senseless taking of life defies the fundamental principles of justice, every notion of dignity and the fact that all of our lives are connected. As human beings, we are responsible for each other…. We cannot stand by and not respond to incidents of racism and inhuman treatment of our black brothers and sisters, or anyone else.”

The gospel confronts our tendency to cause conflict by promoting exclusiveness rather than inclusivity. We fail to remember that no seats are reserved in heaven for any particular clientele. Isaiah quoted God, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”  If we are hoping to get to God’s house, we must rely on his mercy. Unlike us, God does not discriminate. Instead, God welcomes all who seek his mercy, believe in him, and strive to do his will, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or gender. God will judge us someday by the content of our character, not the color of our skin. We should with open minds follow Jesus’ example as we journey toward our final judgment.

Meanwhile, faith in Jesus Christ calls us to remove our barriers of prejudice. The fathers at Vatican II noted, “With respect to the fundamental rights of the person, every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, societal conditions, language or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.” The prophet Micah sums up God’s hope for us in this way, “What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.”

To the best of our knowledge, no water exists on any other planet with the possible exception of Mars where some speculate that ice might be found beneath its red soil. For our planet, water has been plentiful from its beginning. In the Book of Genesis we are told the earth was initially covered with water and on the second day, God separated the land from the sea.

To the ancient peoples, the sea often represented chaos. Sailors and fishermen, then and now, know quite well the sudden turmoil caused by rough waters. Even if one doesn’t go out to sea, water can cause chaos with hurricanes, tsunamis, heavy rains, and floods. Being caught in any one of them can be quite chaotic.

Being divine, Jesus did what no one else has ever done. He walked on water and calmed the sea. If we take this story literally, we may think it has no relevance to us, but if we see it as being a symbolic faith story, it becomes relevant and meaningful. The boat represents the church, our shelter, the disciples are being beaten by the winds and waves of persecution, and Jesus comes to calm their fears, bringing them peace. Today, Jesus still walks on water. He calms the chaos of our stormy seas, whatever they may be.

Accepting Jesus’ invitation to come to him, Peter climbed out of the boat but after taking a few steps, he began to flounder when he saw how strong the wind was. He cried out for help. “Lord, save me!” Jesus does that, reprimanding him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

The underlying good news of this gospel passage is this: no matter what chaos there is in our lives, Jesus walks on it just as he walked on the water that stormy night. He conquers the chaos caused by things beyond our control.

Just when everything seems to be calm, a “storm” can move in to disrupt our lives. This weekend, many unemployed people are stressed out, wondering if and when they will get any financial assistance to weather the storm of this pandemic. Each day more patients are filling hospital beds, struggling to stay alive due to the coronavirus, and many medics are floundering from the stress of their overload, endeavoring to provide compassionate care to their patients. Even if we are gainfully employed or financially secure and well, we have all personally experienced chaos at one time; perhaps the loss of a spouse, parent, child, friend, or job.

Jesus, Matthew assures us, conquers chaos, helping us to weather such storms. Some are due to our own making when we have made bad or sinful choices; spouses who had an affair or harmed their marriage through addiction to pornography or alcohol, or the couple that agreed to an abortion years ago. The emotional damage is still felt and now more than ever, the family needs the healing that only Jesus can provide by calming their stormy relationship.

It makes no difference whether we cause the chaos by a choice we made or are suffering from the chaos created by someone else. Jesus still offers of the same advice he gave Peter, “Come.” Yet in the midst of our chaos, how often do we focus on Jesus and accept his guidance and wisdom?

Jesus knows that we aren’t saints, not yet anyway. He knows our shortcomings, our prejudices, our addictions, still he loves us unconditionally. He takes us as we are and endeavors to patiently reshape us just as a potter reshapes the clay on his wheel to make us better yet. He only asks that we have the courage to place our faith in him. Faith doesn’t save us from the trials and tribulations of life; rather, faith gives us the courage to face them.

What causes the chaos in your life? Is it discomfort with how the Church is calling us to confront the chaos in our midst that prevents the serenity of God’s kingdom from being realized? Is it the chaos of racism, avarice, pride, lust, anger or gluttony? Any of these will prevent us from calming the storms in our midst.

Peter floundered when he took his focus off Jesus, alarmed by the intensity of the strong wind. Turning to prayer, he gave Jesus the opportunity to calm the anxiety and chaos that enmeshed him and the disciples.

Prayer gives us the opportunity to listen to God but as Elijah learned, God speaks to us in ways we may not anticipate. In his case, it was a tiny whisper. In Hebrew, whisper translates as ‘spirit,’ namely the third person of the Holy Trinity.

There is nothing that life throws at us that we cannot overcome with the Lord’s help. Even if we should falter, even when we make mistakes, the Lord is there to guide us, reaching out his hand, just as he did to Peter, keeping us from being swamped by utter chaos, smiling at our feeble attempts to get by without initially trusting him and his wisdom, gently chiding us, just as he chided Peter, for our lack of faith.

Often, we suffer from too little faith, focusing more and more upon ourselves and less and less upon God, just as Peter did. Some people think that if you have enough faith, life will be smooth sailing. I suspect every saint, especially Peter and Paul, would tell us, “Not so!” Life is a perilous journey. Faith doesn’t shield us from the harsh knocks and situations of life. Rather to live by faith means to trust God. As Jesus said, “Take courage, do not be afraid.” Be attentive to the insights God provides to overcome the chaos in your midst.

When Jesus heard that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been killed, he withdrew to a deserted place. Pondering John’s brutal death, he may have struggled to understand the mystery of evil that prompted Herod to do what he did.

Like John the Baptist, Jesus was put to death by evil men but meanwhile he did not allow himself to be caught up in their culture of death. To the contrary, Jesus came to bring life abundantly to the world, inviting his followers to join him in a culture of life, not death.

The culture of life promotes the sanctity of life. This underlies our Catholic conviction that all life is sacred from conception to natural death, hence the Church speaks up for the poor, the unborn, the imprisoned, the marginalized, the ill, the migrant worker, and the victims of racism and bigotry.

The culture of life chooses the way of the Lord over all other possibilities. It considers how each decision should best reflect the presence of Christ. What would Jesus do? St. John Paul II often spoke about the culture of life and so did many other saints. You may recall AB Fulton Sheen hosted a TV show entitled, “Life is worth Living.”

In his letter, Paul tells us that no matter what the world throws at us, no power in the universe can separate us from the love of God. Being committed to the culture of life led Mother Theresa to care for the poorest of the poor and the dying in the gutters of Calcutta. Being committed to the culture of life prompted Martin Luther King to share his dream that his children would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Being committed to the culture of life compelled St. Oscar Romero to stand up for the indigenous peoples of El Salvador.

They conveyed Paul’s message that God, who knows all our sins and sinful tendencies, never stops loving us. But that is not all. Paul goes on to present us with a litany of different kinds of suffering and tragedy, including war, starvation, fear, injustice, death, poverty, and depression. He points out that God’s love is even more powerful than these horrible realities that continue to plague our world today.

Notice Paul doesn’t blame God for the tragedies and sufferings that occur. He doesn’t lament, “God, why do you allow these horrible things to happen?” Paul knows that in this fallen world, evil affects even the most innocent and holiest of people. He also knows that the devil uses evil and suffering to drag people into despair, hopelessness, self-centeredness, and hardness of heart toward others.

In the face of tragedy, the Christian responds not with despair, revenge, anger or corruption, but with love, perseverance, and hope, following the Lord’s example. As Paul points out, “…in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.”

Our commitment to the culture of life generates a spirit of charity that foils the devil’s plans. The culture of life calls us to be people of life and hope. It is this commitment that allows us to view the events of our physical life as only a chapter in the story of our lives.

Ideally we live for God. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote ages ago, “The Christian is not his own master, his time is God’s.” Yes, we live for eternal life and we refuse to be destroyed by the culture of death.

The culture of death only sees the here and now. It doesn’t consider the impact of a person’s actions on his or her life or on the world in general. It is the culture of death that says, “Have an abortion.” Just think of all the talent and love the world has lost. The culture of death also says, “Party on!” so many do so, knowing that this pandemic could kill them.

The culture of death has sent many inmates to death row, even though some are innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. That same culture has prematurely claimed the lives of countless people through slavery, euthanasia, and martial law brutality, here and in distant lands.

It is easy to isolate ourselves from others and become insensitive to what they are enduring. But remember, we are all God’s children, unconditionally loved by our creator and redeemer. God is counting on us to be his hands and feet to convey that love to others. We also have the right to demand that others be treated with dignity just as we are.

Pope Francis once said, “Jesus does not force you to be a Christian. But if you say you are a Christian, you must believe that Jesus has the power—the only one who has the power— to renew the world, to renew your life, to renew your family, to renew the community, to renew everybody.”

Perhaps that insight is what prompted a Dominican priest to compose a prayer we use monthly in our Taize service. “Deliver us Lord from everything that is evil. From all things that separate us from you and each other. Deliver us from our pride, our selfishness, our anger, our jealousies. Deliver us, Lord, from when we feel unlovable or find it difficult to love. Deliver us, Lord, through all pain, suffering and death. Deliver us unto each other in a genuine openness, one to the other. Deliver unto us the strength of loving one another exactly as we are. And protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.”

Since the dawn of time, people have looked for treasure. In bygone days, they searched in the fields, in the hills, or under the sea. If they could find gold or diamonds or pearls, they would be happy. Today, people are still looking for treasure. Except now, they look in casinos, the stock market, or power ball lotteries. If they could hit the jackpot, they would be in seventh heaven.

When we speak of being in seventh heaven, we are in a state of intense happiness, utter bliss. The Bible offers us no definition of heaven but in these two pithy parables, Jesus uses images to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like. The kingdom of heaven is not a treasure, a pearl or an inanimate object located in some distant physical place. Jesus uses metaphors to tell his listeners that the kingdom of heaven is like the action-response of the finder who stumbles upon the treasure. Seeing the value of their find, they do what they must to have that treasure.

Many people think of the kingdom of heaven only as some distant entity beyond the pearly gates that they hope to enter once they cross the threshold of death. The kingdom of heaven is also called the kingdom of God. So, instead of defining the kingdom of heaven as a place, think of the kingdom as God’s will, which is the well-being of all peoples.

Whenever we say the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it in heaven,” as though we are anticipating its arrival someday. Actually the kingdom is already here. It’s just that we don’t recognize it with our eyes set on something else, just as the ancient Israelites who were expecting a new earthly realm when they listened to Jesus. The reign that Jesus spoke of is not a secular political governance. He is speaking of governance, all right, but of a different scope. Namely Jesus is speaking of his disciples following the will of God.

These two parables make the same point: God’s kingdom is something of extraordinary value, which calls for a total commitment on our part if the kingdom is to be fully seen and experienced in this time and place. We cannot have that treasure unless we are willing to let go of those distracting and competing values and priorities that get in the way. Values that create within us sinful attitudes or actions of greed and selfishness hinder us from bringing about the kingdom of heaven.

Every day we often have to choose between right and wrong, generosity and selfishness, honesty and lies, people and things, sometimes even between life and death. Jesus is talking not about the trivial choices we make daily but about wise and costly decisions. Such decisions can cost us much but they will bring us a joy that no one can take from us.

What Matthew calls the kingdom of heaven, Luke and Mark call the reign of God. How then does God want to rule the world? His son provides us with numerous guidelines that are priceless treasures once we discover their true value.

For example, these two parables mirror people’s experience of discovering God’s love and forgiveness unexpectedly or after a long search. When we endeavor to practice both the art of loving and the art of forgiveness, we are mimicking the farmer who found the treasure or the merchant who found the pearl by letting go of whatever hinders us from loving and forgiving someone.

The reign of God is a way of living life here and now, not merely a state of being that will unfold once we die. It is a life of faithful commitment, a life of integrity, of trust in God and being of service to others.

So often when we endeavor to learn something, we need someone to set an example. Now imagine Jesus as the one who finds the buried treasure and the pearl of great price. To acquire them, namely you and me, he gave his life on the cross. The more we realize God’s unconditional love for us, the more we find the secret of peace and joy.

Now lets reverse the roles. By virtue of our baptism, we have stumbled on the treasure that is Jesus himself but for many their faith has been too superficial to see the true value of this treasure. Does the value of this treasure move you to follow God’s way of living here and now?

The kingdom of heaven is the outcome of putting into practice all the wisdom that Jesus taught us. Think of the corporal works of mercy. When we endeavor to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick or the imprisoned, welcome the stranger, and bury the dead, we are making heaven real for everyone involved.

In the kingdom, all lives are valued treasures in God’s eyes to be honored and cared for and accepted, regardless of their ethnicity, their gender, their race, or their income. God treasures all life and invites us to do the same.

Picture how different our world would be if everyone responded as Solomon did with an understanding heart that could see right from wrong and that the Kingdom of heaven is the most valuable thing we can possess. May God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can and wisdom to know the difference.