Here's my homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time...
The key understanding of this gospel passage is not that Peter is the first pope, but that Peter understood who Jesus was to him, “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” In response to Peter’s acclamation, Jesus said Peter is a “rock” on which the “church” (the assembly of believers, the company of the disciples) will be built. So let’s look more deeply at what Jesus meant by “rock.”
Jewish teachers were familiar with the symbolism of a rock in two ways. The first Scriptural: the water miracle that Moses struck in the desert that provided water for a desperate and thirsty people. The second is an oral tradition grounded in a legend that the same rock followed the people along their journey from the desert to the high mountains. When the people walked with God, each household had water at the door of their tent. The legend underscored the teaching that hostile surroundings would not have power over the people as long as they walked with God. Being a rabbi, Jesus was familiar with both traditions and when he said, “…you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…” Jesus’ declaration means that the community that professes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the community would remain resilient in the face of hostile surroundings.
I just got back from Apatzingan, Michoacan where I and a priest friend visited people who are directly affected by the violence. Extortions, kidnappings, random acts of violence are tragically commonplace. While there, we met with the CCHRISTOS group. This group initiated by Fr. Goyo and his brother is made up of different people who are looking to develop a community-based response to the crisis. The group meets regularly - and at great risk: many of the members received death-threats. They are business owners, educators, workers, students, and mothers. They come from all sectors of society and when we sat down with them, they briefed us on the difficult political landscape and the corruption of the system. We heard testimonials and were briefed on efforts to overcome this violence. The following day we were in Mexico City at the Senate Chambers hearing more testimonies and reports from all around Mexico of how different regions are responding to the the phenomenon of violence.
What stood out for me was the resilience of the people. There is this widow’s group that works with women and children, to provide psychological and spiritual support to those who have lost their loved ones. Despite overwhelming odds against them, they refused to give into the violence. CCHRISTOS is also sponsoring the formation of an independent citizen’s-based self-defense network. Another representative was talking about a home for orphans. In all, the people we met with profess a non-violent approach to social change. In the face of such opposition, we asked them what keeps them going? For some it was the struggle itself. Others, wanted a better future for their families. Others believed that there is a better way. I asked one of the widows from the widow’s group what sustained her and she, like Fr Goyo and others from the Church, said, “I sustained by my faith. It is the inner-faith, the inner-vision within each person that gives that person the ganas to keep going.
When Peter arrived and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." I believe that the power of Peter’s confession isn’t in the confession alone, but rather, that through the confession he was articulating his readiness to accept the task of forgiving and loving - of choosing a different path - and thereby creating a new type of community. The title, “Son of the Living God” linked Jesus intimately to the history of salvation. Just as God delivered the people Israel from the hands of Pharaoh, and delivered Israel from exile in Babylon and from the hands of their enemies in Isaiah’s time, so too will Jesus would lead his people out from under the tyrannical force of Rome.
The Roman system infiltrated every level of society. Romans mastered the art of occupation. In each country they occupied, Roman leaders intentionally divided the conquered people, making them suspicious of each other. With social divisions in place, people wouldn’t trust one another and wouldn’t think to band together to form an alliance against their oppressors. Instead, people focused on their own problems and ignored the plight of their neighbors. This division made it possible for the authorities to haul people to jail if they couldn’t pay a debt or to kill those who dared to question the system itself.
The “powers of death” that Jesus referred to presumably included reference to the imperial powers of Rome - for they were the only ones that had the authority to determine who lived and who died. When Jesus said to Peter, “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it (the church),” Jesus was affirming that the Church would prevail against death - that God’s people would stand up against death, against the injustices of Rome.
Peter’s confession of faith, “You are the Son of the Living God” was a way of saying, “Caesar isn’t God.” “Caesar’s kingdom is not the real kingdom.” “I reject the limitation that Caesar places on me.” Jesus affirmed Peter and this affirmation sealed the company of disciples to become a community of resistance to injustice. The Church would not succumb to a system of using dominance! Where the system of Rome was sustained by division and violence, the new kingdom Jesus preached would be organized around equity and equality and sustained by a never-ending process of forgiveness.
Returning to Apatzingan for a moment, it seemed to me after hearing hours of testimonies and briefings over the course of 2 days, that there are many levels to the conflict. On one level there is the very real conflict of power between the state and federal government, the cartels and the innocent people caught up in this undeclared war, the so-called fuerzas ruales and newly emerging community-based self-defense groups, and individuals in neighborhoods. On another level there is a conflict between visions: a vision of a society held together by dominance with a system of extortion, threats of violence, substance abuse, and random violence and a system of mutual aid. Both systems: the Kingdom of Rome and the Kingdom of God cannot simultaneously exist. One will give way to the other. And with God, all things are possible!
The task of the Church is to proclaim Jesus as Lord, as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We cannot; however, proclaim this message with any real integrity if we are willing to tolerate and bargain with a system built on dominance and the subjugation of the weak and defenseless. We must, as Jesus commands, loose on earth the bond of violence that imprisons us to a never-ending cycle of “an eye for eye and tooth for tooth.” Victory won’t come easy, but it won’t come for sure if we do nothing. Injustice will continue: kidnappings, extortions, violence and the subjugation of people will flourish if we do not actively resist the Empire. Our confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God means nothing if we do not express our declaration by standing up to the gates of the netherworld. Like the courageous widows in the rural communities, the unarmed community self-defense groups, the student activists and mothers who look for a better life for their young children, we too must find our voice and work.
As people who live here in the relative safety of San Jose, we are invited to share in their struggle. Our trip to Apatzingan was not a one-time visit, but an opening of future visits. We left Apatzingan with greater understanding and appreciation of their struggle, but we also left with a promise that they are not alone. Proclaiming Jesus as the Christ and Son of the Living God is to live the sure and certain hope that we will triumph against the gates of the netherworld. Vive Cristo Rey!
Jewish teachers were familiar with the symbolism of a rock in two ways. The first Scriptural: the water miracle that Moses struck in the desert that provided water for a desperate and thirsty people. The second is an oral tradition grounded in a legend that the same rock followed the people along their journey from the desert to the high mountains. When the people walked with God, each household had water at the door of their tent. The legend underscored the teaching that hostile surroundings would not have power over the people as long as they walked with God. Being a rabbi, Jesus was familiar with both traditions and when he said, “…you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…” Jesus’ declaration means that the community that professes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the community would remain resilient in the face of hostile surroundings.
I just got back from Apatzingan, Michoacan where I and a priest friend visited people who are directly affected by the violence. Extortions, kidnappings, random acts of violence are tragically commonplace. While there, we met with the CCHRISTOS group. This group initiated by Fr. Goyo and his brother is made up of different people who are looking to develop a community-based response to the crisis. The group meets regularly - and at great risk: many of the members received death-threats. They are business owners, educators, workers, students, and mothers. They come from all sectors of society and when we sat down with them, they briefed us on the difficult political landscape and the corruption of the system. We heard testimonials and were briefed on efforts to overcome this violence. The following day we were in Mexico City at the Senate Chambers hearing more testimonies and reports from all around Mexico of how different regions are responding to the the phenomenon of violence.
What stood out for me was the resilience of the people. There is this widow’s group that works with women and children, to provide psychological and spiritual support to those who have lost their loved ones. Despite overwhelming odds against them, they refused to give into the violence. CCHRISTOS is also sponsoring the formation of an independent citizen’s-based self-defense network. Another representative was talking about a home for orphans. In all, the people we met with profess a non-violent approach to social change. In the face of such opposition, we asked them what keeps them going? For some it was the struggle itself. Others, wanted a better future for their families. Others believed that there is a better way. I asked one of the widows from the widow’s group what sustained her and she, like Fr Goyo and others from the Church, said, “I sustained by my faith. It is the inner-faith, the inner-vision within each person that gives that person the ganas to keep going.
When Peter arrived and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." I believe that the power of Peter’s confession isn’t in the confession alone, but rather, that through the confession he was articulating his readiness to accept the task of forgiving and loving - of choosing a different path - and thereby creating a new type of community. The title, “Son of the Living God” linked Jesus intimately to the history of salvation. Just as God delivered the people Israel from the hands of Pharaoh, and delivered Israel from exile in Babylon and from the hands of their enemies in Isaiah’s time, so too will Jesus would lead his people out from under the tyrannical force of Rome.
The Roman system infiltrated every level of society. Romans mastered the art of occupation. In each country they occupied, Roman leaders intentionally divided the conquered people, making them suspicious of each other. With social divisions in place, people wouldn’t trust one another and wouldn’t think to band together to form an alliance against their oppressors. Instead, people focused on their own problems and ignored the plight of their neighbors. This division made it possible for the authorities to haul people to jail if they couldn’t pay a debt or to kill those who dared to question the system itself.
The “powers of death” that Jesus referred to presumably included reference to the imperial powers of Rome - for they were the only ones that had the authority to determine who lived and who died. When Jesus said to Peter, “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it (the church),” Jesus was affirming that the Church would prevail against death - that God’s people would stand up against death, against the injustices of Rome.
Peter’s confession of faith, “You are the Son of the Living God” was a way of saying, “Caesar isn’t God.” “Caesar’s kingdom is not the real kingdom.” “I reject the limitation that Caesar places on me.” Jesus affirmed Peter and this affirmation sealed the company of disciples to become a community of resistance to injustice. The Church would not succumb to a system of using dominance! Where the system of Rome was sustained by division and violence, the new kingdom Jesus preached would be organized around equity and equality and sustained by a never-ending process of forgiveness.
Returning to Apatzingan for a moment, it seemed to me after hearing hours of testimonies and briefings over the course of 2 days, that there are many levels to the conflict. On one level there is the very real conflict of power between the state and federal government, the cartels and the innocent people caught up in this undeclared war, the so-called fuerzas ruales and newly emerging community-based self-defense groups, and individuals in neighborhoods. On another level there is a conflict between visions: a vision of a society held together by dominance with a system of extortion, threats of violence, substance abuse, and random violence and a system of mutual aid. Both systems: the Kingdom of Rome and the Kingdom of God cannot simultaneously exist. One will give way to the other. And with God, all things are possible!
The task of the Church is to proclaim Jesus as Lord, as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We cannot; however, proclaim this message with any real integrity if we are willing to tolerate and bargain with a system built on dominance and the subjugation of the weak and defenseless. We must, as Jesus commands, loose on earth the bond of violence that imprisons us to a never-ending cycle of “an eye for eye and tooth for tooth.” Victory won’t come easy, but it won’t come for sure if we do nothing. Injustice will continue: kidnappings, extortions, violence and the subjugation of people will flourish if we do not actively resist the Empire. Our confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God means nothing if we do not express our declaration by standing up to the gates of the netherworld. Like the courageous widows in the rural communities, the unarmed community self-defense groups, the student activists and mothers who look for a better life for their young children, we too must find our voice and work.
As people who live here in the relative safety of San Jose, we are invited to share in their struggle. Our trip to Apatzingan was not a one-time visit, but an opening of future visits. We left Apatzingan with greater understanding and appreciation of their struggle, but we also left with a promise that they are not alone. Proclaiming Jesus as the Christ and Son of the Living God is to live the sure and certain hope that we will triumph against the gates of the netherworld. Vive Cristo Rey!
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