Reading I
1 Pt 5:1-4
Beloved:
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Gospel
Mt 16:13-19
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
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
Meditation: Matthew 16:13-19
The Chair of Peter
Today, we honor St. Peter as the first shepherd of the church. Surely, Peter had what it takes to lead: wisdom, foresight, and strength of character. He also had the gift of prophecy, the ability to speak God’s word with clarity and boldness to the people around him.
But Peter wasn’t always the heroic leader we celebrate today. Take today’s Gospel reading as an example. True, he sensed that Jesus was the Messiah. But immediately after this episode, he tried to dissuade Jesus from being the Messiah and dying on the cross. Think, too, of when he took his eyes off Jesus while walking on the water or when he denied knowing the Lord on Holy Thursday. Clearly, Peter had some growing to do before he would be able to take up the title “Rock” that Jesus gave him!
The good news is that Peter did press on with the Lord, and he did learn how to hear his voice more clearly. It doesn’t take a trained eye to see that the Peter writing in today’s first reading is a far more mature and seasoned leader than the Peter who first received the keys of the kingdom in today’s Gospel.
The same thing can happen to us. As we learn to pay attention to the thoughts in our minds and the words that come out of our mouths, we can begin to sense which ones are coming from the Holy Spirit and which ones are coming from the philosophies of the world or the devil’s subtle whispers. We will see that if they are words of encouragement, hope, and comfort, they are most likely from the Lord. We will see, too, that if they are words of harsh judgment, resentment, envy, or wounded pride, they are most likely from another source.
Brothers and sisters, the harvest is ready. People are longing to hear the word of the Lord. Let’s ask Jesus to send us into his fields. If we can set aside just a few minutes each day to sit with him and meditate on his word in Scripture, he will fill our minds and our mouths with his words of life. We too can become prophetic voices in the world!
“Lord, help me to hear your voice, and give me boldness to share the gospel with those you bring into my path today.”
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