A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n. 39)
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – August 24, 2008
“God’s Steward”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 22:19-23 // Rom 11:33-36 // Mt16:13-20
(N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Is 22:18-23) contains an oracle against an abusive steward in the eighth century B.C. royal court of King Hezekiah. Shebna, the majordomo of the palace, was guilty of political maneuvering. He was one of the court officials who had tried to persuade King Hezekiah to revolt against Assyria and send for Egyptian support, which directly opposed the prophet Isaiah’s divine message of non-involvement and total reliance on the Lord. Moreover, Shebna’s penchant for luxury, power and ostentation displeased the Lord who chastised him, saying: “You are a disgrace to your master’s household. The Lord will remove you from office and bring you down from your higher position” (Is 22:18b-19).
In place of the social climber Shebna, the Lord God established Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, as successor, clothing him with the former official’s robe and sash to signify the transfer of authority to the newly appointed minister. Moreover, Eliakim would receive “the key of the House of David”, a symbol of the majordomo’s authority to grant or deny admittance to the royal presence. Having received the insignia of power and authority, Eliakim was expected to fulfill dutifully his basic role to be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Eliakim, however, was another disappointment! He was not able to live up to the call and dignity of his office for he resorted to nepotism, thus loosening the firmly secured peg of office offered him by the Lord. This led to his downfall and his heavily favored family collapsed with him.
Against the Old Testament backdrop of “the key of the House of David”, today’s Gospel reading (Mt 16:13-20) about the call and investiture of Peter with “the keys to the kingdom of heaven” takes on deeper meaning. In response to Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus, whom he had acknowledged as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” – a spiritual truth revealed by the heavenly Father – Jesus established him as the “rock” of the Church of Christ and presented to him the “power of the keys”. The call and commissioning of Simon Peter was part of God’s benevolent plan for his chosen people. It was an important step in the realization of his saving design to provide them with trustworthy stewards and spiritual shepherds. Indeed, the “power of the keys” was a pastoral power meant to benefit God’s people.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4 comment: “Again, it is the person of the Lord that is in the foreground and, here, his paschal victory over death and all the powers of evil. The guarantee of the life of the Church, and not only of its survival, is the risen Christ. In spite of his hesitations and doubts, his slowness to believe, Peter is the steward, the majordomo of this faith in the Son of God forever living. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. This power expressed in a picturesque formula concerns the function of teaching and governing, of declaring something licit or illicit, of absolving or condemning, given to Peter for the benefit of the community. It goes without saying that we are not speaking here of discretionary power but of pastoral power. Such power can be that of a trusted steward only if it is exercised according to the example and in the spirit of the Lord.”
Through time and space, the Church – the community of faith founded on the Risen Lord Jesus Christ and ministered to by Peter and his successors – would experience various crises, persecutions and trials. But the “gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” because its leader is the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, who had radically conquered the power of sin and death, remaining with his disciples until the end of time. The papal ministry is thus a vital expression of the pastoral office of Jesus Master-Shepherd living on in the Church and in the world today. Indeed, the service of the Pope is part of God’s marvelous saving plan – of what our dear spiritual father St. Paul calls “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom 11:33).
The following experiences of John Thavis, Catholic News Service (CNS) Rome Bureau Chief concerning Pope Benedict XVI illustrate the latter’s effort to live up to the challenges of his pastoral ministry and his laudable endeavor to be Christ’s trusted steward of faith for the present society (cf. Carrie Swearingen’s “PAPA-RAZZI: Following the Man who Follows the Pope” in ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER, July 2008, p. 16).
John Thavis found it stunning to see the Pope, during his tour of a Turkish mosque, turn toward Mecca and pray alongside his Muslim host. “In one gesture, he bridged the gap of misunderstanding that had arisen after his Regensburg lecture several months earlier, “ says Thavis. “Of course, Christians and Muslims pray to the same God, so there was nothing really revolutionary about it. But after some media had labeled him ‘the Pope against Islam’, this was clear illustration that Benedict was not about to play the role of anti-Islamic crusader.”
Thavis has been moved by Pope Benedict XVI’s simplicity and clarity when speaking to foreign groups. In May of 2007 the Pope and the press corps took a long bus ride through picturesque hills in central Brazil. “He addressed recovering drug addicts. It was a rousing welcome by a mostly young group of people and, when the Pope ended, they kept chanting his name. When he was getting into the popemobile, his aides telling him they had to hurry up and leave, he suddenly stopped, got out of the vehicle and walked back on the stage. He waved and gave them one last greeting. It was just a small kindness, but it meant so much to these people.” (…)
Thavis knew that this Pope would want to make an effort to be more engaging. “And he does. He makes eye contact, is always kind and says a few words to each person he meets. The world had known him as a doctrine enforcer, but that was not on his mind as Pope.” The Pope’s main goal, Thavis explains, is to reawaken a sense of God in society and a deeper faith in Christ and the Catholic Church.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What are the practical lessons you can draw from Isaiah’s oracle against undeserving stewards (cf. Is 22:15-25)? Why did the Lord Yahweh clothe the newly appointed steward Eliakim with Shebna’s robe and sash? What is the meaning of placing upon Eliakim “the key of the House of David”? What was the response of Shebna and Eliakim to the trust of office given to them by the Lord? Do we endeavor to be faithful to the ministry we have received? Do we respond with personal dedication to the task or office entrusted to us by the Lord and by the community?
How does Peter’s confession of faith inspire us? How do we assess Peter’s ministry to the apostolic Church and how did he use “the power of the keys” given to him by the Lord? Do we keep the Pope in our prayers and lovingly sustain him in his vital ministry as “steward” of faith? Do we make an effort to understand the role of Simon Peter and his successors in salvation history?
With St. Paul the Apostle, do we marvel at “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge” of God and consider “how inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways”? In this Year of St. Paul, do we resolve to be deeply united with the Pope in promoting a loving faith in God “from whom, through whom and for whom all things are” (Rom 11:36)?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: O loving God, the Father of us all,
we thank you for your Son Jesus, the glorified Lord,
who brought forth the Church
by the paschal mystery of his passion, death and resurrection.
We thank you for Peter’s receptivity to your divine revelation
and his faith confession
that Jesus is indeed “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
We thank you for the Church,
the community of believers founded on the faith of the apostles.
We thank you for Peter’s successors,
whom you have established as stewards of Christian faith.
May they all be trustworthy and faithful!
O compassionate God,
we pray for our Holy Father, the Pope.
Guide Pope Benedict XVI in holiness
so that he may continue to be an inspiring image
of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Lead him along the path of wisdom
and teach him the ways of Jesus,
your most faithful Servant and beloved Son.
Let our Pope be continually animated by the love of Jesus.
Strengthen him in his office
as the chief steward of Christian faith.
May he always give the proper response
to the many yearnings and needs of the people of today.
Together with St. Paul,
we proclaim, “From you and through you and for you are all things”.
With marvelous praise,
we extol “the depth of the riches of your wisdom”
and declare “how inscrutable are your judgments and mysterious your ways”,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 16:19a)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray that the Church may truly be a credible witness in today’s secularized world yearning for a life-giving sign.. Pray for the Pope that he may be strengthened in his pastoral ministry as chief steward of Christian faith. By your service to the poor and the needy and through a life of holiness and personal dedication, offer a sign of hope to a world in need of spiritual meaning and healing.
ACTION PLAN: That we may appreciate God’s benevolent plan to provide us with trustworthy stewards of faith, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year A, # 39).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US