GOSPEL POWER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

MONDAY | THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER, APOSTLE

Gospel: MT: 16:13-19

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you

say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

REFLECTION

Throughout the ages, the Church has withstood attempts to stamp it out, to tarnish its reputation and to discredit and malign especially its leaders. Today, there are even those who claim that the Church is outdated and irrelevant in our complex and ever-changing world. But the Church lives on and has never ceased to carry out its mission amidst the storms that batter it. Today’s Gospel attests that the Church’s continuing existence is backed by a divine promise. Until God’s plan is fully accomplished, the Church will stand firmly on its rock-foundation, Peter, to whom God has revealed Jesus’ true identity — “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is the mission of the Church to make known this divine revelation, so that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we trust in your promise, for you are the embodiment of God’s faithfulness. Amen.