Paul's Reflections 21st August, 2011 Twenty - first Sunday of the Year - A

21st  August, 2011      Twenty - first Sunday of the Year - A

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Just a reminder that its important that you bring along your mass supplements for the new translation of the mass..  there are published copies and also some photocopied sheets with all the new parts.  From now on; whenever we SPEAK any responses, they will all be the new response.  If we sing any responses, we will take our cues from the musicians and they may for the time being be the old translations.  

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It is nice to have our reconciliation candidates with us this weekend and their families.   They are beginning their classes to prepare to receive their first Reconciliation… //  which itself is the prerequisite to their next year:  making of the sacrament of Confirmation and making their first holy communion.

In the Gospel Jesus gives St Peter, the first amongst the apostles, the keys to the Kingdom..  Jesus says…   “whatever you bind on earth, will be considered bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth, will be considered loosed in Heaven.”  Jesus invests upon St Peter, and his succesors, the popes…   and upon his holy Church, the power to bind and set free..    He does this built upon the solid rock of the confession of faith that St Peter gives and answer to Jesus’ question: “who do people say I am?”    Peter says: You are the “Christ, The Son of the living God”.

So, it is not just Peter, the apostle that Jesus is calling Rock!.  It is not just Peter alone  upon whom Jesus is building his Church upon solid rock. Also, and just as importantly. Jesus builds his church on the solid rock of the truth of the profession of faith that Peter makes and that we all make too. 

The church is BUILT upon the solid foundation of the profession of faith that “Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the chosen one. Jesus IS the Son of God who shows us what God is like. Jesus is the one who forgives our sins and sacrifices his life so that we may be saved. That we may be restored to God’s house.  Jesus is the one who invites us to share in God’s gifts and promises and if we accept, we become Jesus’ brothers and sisters. We become Jesus’ disciples and children of God - Part of God’s family forever.

There is another time in the Gospel that Jesus says similar words… it is when Jesus first appears to the gathered disciples  and he breathes on them and says “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whatever sins you forgive, they are forgiven.”   This is why the church believes and professes that Jesus has given the church the power to forgive sins on his behalf. And assure people of God’s mercy and forgiveness when they do the wrong thing and sin.  This is what we celebrate in first reconciliation, which is a celebration of God’s forgiveness and mercy and that God loves us. God will always love us. When we wander away and sin.. Jesus, the good shepherd searches for us until he finds us and welcomes us home.

I love the second reading. It is a wonderful hymn of praise and wonder to God. St Paul says, basically: “whatever happens to us and to all God’s people,… God’s mercy and faithful love is constant and everlasting.   For this we should never cease to thank and praise God.

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REFERENCES:

·        FR. PAUL W. KELLY

·        Break Open the Word. Liturgical Commission. 2011.