Homily for 21st Sunday Ordinary Time

Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down.  You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down.  Great song and great lyrics from Tom Petty and he continues: and I’ll keep this world from dragging me down and I’ll stand my ground; I won’t back down!

Honestly, haven’t we all had to take a stand, to not back down?  Of course we have; if we have lived in any family dynamic, spent any time in the work place or school, have friends and live within a community, we all know what it means to stand our ground, to not back down.

As people of faith, Jesus challenges all of us, in our faithfulness, to stand our ground and to not back down.

As we arrive at the 16^th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel we hear Jesus deliver the 1^st pop quiz in Scripture: who do you say that I am?  But to Peter directly he asks: who do you say that I am?  This is a glimpse of the Church and it involves Peter.  Oh Peter, so impetuous, sometimes silly and simple yet here he is passing the pop quiz with flying colors!  Boldly he declares Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God!  Then Jesus explains quickly that this was more than Peter’s response, it is a special gift of divine revelation! This is another incredible teaching moment for Peter and the Church!  Peter’s answer comes directly from God the Father.  For this divinely gifted response, Jesus calls Peter rock: YOU are rock and upon this ROCK I will build my Church!  Believers recognize this moment as the confession of Peter, the establishment of Peter as leader of the Apostles, eventually we would refer to Peter as our 1^st Pope!  So important is the moment when Peter is declared ROCK, Jesus says, more eloquently than Tom Petty ever could, that this Church will even endure against the gates of hell, the gates of hell will never prevail against the Church.  Never!

Jesus is leaving us a Church and a visible head of the Church in Peter, as first Pope, followed by Linus, the 2^nd Pope and all the way to Francis, our current Pope!  Jesus is also leaving us, within the Church authority; teaching authority!  So much so, Jesus tells Peter whatever is bound or loosed on earth is bound or loosed in Heaven.  Here we see the earliest realities of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick, Sacraments of healing, as well as Papal Authority and the teaching office of the Church, reserved to Bishops in union with the Pope!  But not everybody believes in a Pope, not everybody believes that Jesus was even referring to Peter when he declared: you are ROCK.  Instead they tell us that Jesus is the rock but that certainly does not fit the context of Jesus’ teaching.  Jesus did not speak in Greek, using a word like petra or petros which others tell us only means pebble or stone.  Only problem here, Jesus used neither word for he spoke Aramaic while walking Earth and he declared Peter, Kephas, ROCK!  And Jesus carefully allowed this to happen not in Jerusalem or Nazareth, no it happened in Caesarea Philippi, a location known for being built on the strongest most invincible rock formation in the entire region.  Oh yes, Jesus knows what He is doing!  Then we have the keys to the kingdom, kept by Christ Himself, no, instead He hands them to Peter.  This would be significant to these men of Jewish heritage as the keys were the symbol of the office of leader, prime minister if you will.  Peter is given the keys and told that whatever is bound or loosed on earth is bound or loosed in Heaven.

So what does all of this mean for us, today, as we leave here and face the week ahead?  It means that we too are challenged to be a rock for Jesus in our lives, to never back down and stand our ground when it concerns our faith.  Do we follow all the teachings of the Church?  Do we call upon the courage needed to do the right thing and keep our focus on Jesus?  Remember last week, like Peter, when we lose our focus on Him we sink?  Do we need to return to confession, then don’t back down.  Do we need to pray more frequently and when we pray, do we pray for the Holy Father, then don’t back down.  Can we pray this week specifically for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria?  Are we radically available to serve Christ by serving a brother or sister in need, then don’t back down?  Can we reread this Scripture twice this week, placing ourselves in the scene and reflecting sincerely, am I bold in my faith, don’t back down.  Like Peter, we are called to trust in Jesus, we are called to be in the world and not of the world, we are called to love the Lord with our whole heart and soul, we are called to take a stand, to not back down, to persevere in Christ Jesus.

No I won’t back down, even if they stand me up against the gates of hell, I won’t back down.  They can drag me down, but I’ll take a stand and never back down!