you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

１Peter 5:1-4

 I now address myself to those elders among you;

I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, hoping to share the Glory that is to be revealed.  Shepherd the flock which God has entrusted to you, guarding it not out of obligation but willingly for God’s sake; not as one looking for a reward but with a generous heart;   do not lord it over those in your care, rather be an ex­ample to your flock.   Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be given a crown of unfading glory.

 

Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

 

   ＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Matthew 16:13-19

 After that Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of man is?” They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

 Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Bar­jona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

 And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.

 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

 

 Gospel Reflection：

Authority

On this feast of the Chair of Peter, we reflect on authority in the Church. there is much talk these days about crisis of authority within the Church, due to the many scandals.

The Church can neither be an autocracy nor a democracy; it can only be a true “pneumacracy.” When Peter proclaimed Jesus as the “Messiah, the Son of the living God,”he did not do so on his own authority or knowledge, but on a wisdom that was given from above, as Jesus clearly told him.

We also know what happened to Peter immediately: Using his “authority “ he taught Jesus about self-protection, for which Jesus called him , Satan, for that authority did not come from listening to the Spirit.

The Church is a community of learners, docile to the Spirit. She must teach as learners, listening to the Spirit’s whispers coming from even the strangest places, for the Spirit blows where it wills (cf. Jn 3:8)