25

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time —Year A

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF

 甘天霖神父

Gospel: Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew,

Glory to you, O Lord!

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 Messiah, 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 Messiah.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily: A DISCOVERY THAT CHANGES YOUR NAME AND YOUR LIFE

One day, near the city of Philippi, Jesus addresses the apostles two questions, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?” and “Who do you say I am?” The circulating opinions draw him near eminent personalities: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, the ancient prophets. 

The admiration of people of all times for Jesus cannot be denied as one of the greatest teachers for his love for the poor, his commitment to justice, peace, non-violence. But a true disciple is one who has understood that he is unique. It is at this point that Peter intervenes with the surprising answer. He speaks in the name of all and shows to have understood everything. He says to him: “You are the Christ” you are Messiah.

Peter gave a correct answer only in form; actually, he has in mind a completely distorted idea. He is convinced that Jesus is about to begin the kingdom of God on earth and thinks that he will implement this through a show of force, wonders and signs. Jesus answers Simon as he refers to him, "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church."

The name given to Simon, Cephas-Peter in Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus), in all probability does not mean the rock, but just a building stone. The stone of which Jesus speaks is the faith professed by Peter. This faith constitutes the foundation of the Church, which keeps it united with Christ-Rock, making it indestructible and allowing it to never be overwhelmed by the forces of evil. All those who, like Peter and with Peter profess this faith, are inserted as living stones in the spiritual building designed by God. 

Peter also receives the keys and the power of binding and losing. The rabbis were convinced that they possess the "keys of the Torah" because they knew the Scriptures. Jesus takes up this image in his harsh indictment against the scribes: "A curse is on you, teachers of the Law, for you have taken the key of knowledge” (Lk 11:52). Instead of opening the door of salvation, they barred them, not revealing to the people the true face of God and his will.

 Jesus took away from them the key they had abusively appropriated. By handing over the keys to Peter, Jesus charges him to "become an example to the flock" (1 P 5:3). He entrusted him to open wide the entrance to the knowledge of Christ and his gospel. Whoever passes through the door opened by Peter with their profession of faith (this is the "holy door") has access to salvation; whoever refuses remains excluded. 

From today's Gospel, we recognize that Peter is entrusted with a particular task in the Church. He is called to feed the lambs and the sheep, and must sustain his brothers and sisters in the faith. As the Pope himself has expressly recognized, it is necessary to understand that the Pope’s ministry is to be, as Irenaeus of Lyons (second century) puts it, "the presider over charity."

证道：信德的活石，带领人认识天主！ 

有一天，在靠近斐理伯的城市，耶稣向门徒们问了两个问题：“人们说人子是谁？”和“你们说我是谁？”流传的观点使耶稣接近著名的人物：洗者若翰、厄里亚、耶肋米亚，以及古先知中的一位。

所有时代的人对耶稣的钦佩是不能否认的，因祂对穷人的爱，以及对正义、和平和非暴力的献身，而成为伟大的老师。不过，一个真正的门徒是那已经明白祂是独一无二的人。在这一点上，伯多禄以令人惊奇的答案而介入。他以所有人的名义发言，并显示出已经明了一切。他向耶稣说：“你是基督”，你是默西亚。

伯多禄只是给予了形式上的正确答案；事实上，他思想中是完全扭曲的想法。他坚信耶稣是在地上开始天主的国，并认为祂将会通过武力、奇迹和征兆来贯彻执行。正如他论及耶稣所说的，耶稣回答说：“你是伯多禄（磐石），在这磐石上，我要建立我的教会”。

赐予西满的名字刻法-伯多禄，在阿拉美语（耶稣所说的语言）中很可能不是巨石，而仅仅是一块建筑用的石头。耶稣所说的石头是伯多禄公开宣认的信德。这信德构成了教会的基础，保持与基督-磐石的合一，使教会坚不可摧，并且绝不允许邪恶势力战胜她。所有那些像伯多禄一样，并与伯多禄一起宣告这信德的人，都是天主计划嵌入灵性建筑物中的活石。

伯多禄也接受了束缚和释放的钥匙和权力。拉比坚信自己拥有“托拉（法律）的钥匙”，因为他们知晓圣经。耶稣在对法学士的严厉控诉中也采用了这个比喻：“祸哉，你们法学士！因为你们拿走了智慧的钥匙”（路11：52）。与打开救恩之门相反的是，他们阻止人们，而不是向人们揭示天主真正的面容和旨意。

耶稣夺去了他们据为己有滥用的钥匙。藉着把钥匙交给伯多禄，耶稣命令他要“成为群羊的模范”（伯前5：3）。耶稣委托伯多禄大开走向认识基督和其福音的入口。谁因着信德宣誓通过伯多禄大开之门进来（这是“圣门”），就已经进入了救恩；谁拒绝，就被排除在外。

从今日福音中，我们认识到：伯多禄在教会中被委托了一个特殊的责任。他被召叫喂养羔羊和羊群，并且必须把他的兄弟姐妹保持在信德之中。作为教宗，他自身必须清楚地意识到：很必要明白教宗的使命是什么；正里昂的圣依肋内（公元二世纪）所说的：“主管爱德慈善”。