The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the vocation of leadership in our faith communities.
Leadership in community
The reading from the First Letter of Peter outlines guidelines for tending the Flock of God.
* [5:1–4] In imitation of Christ, the chief shepherd, those entrusted with a pastoral office are to tend the flock by their care and example. * [5:1] Presbyters: the officially appointed leaders and teachers of the Christian community (cf. 1 Tm 5:17–18; Ti 1:5–8; Jas 5:14). * [5:4] See note on 1 Pt 2:25.1
Psalm 23 praises the Divine Shepherd.
* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10).2
The Gospel of Matthew is Peter’s Declaration about Jesus.
* [16:13–20] The Marcan confession of Jesus as Messiah, made by Peter as spokesman for the other disciples (Mk 8:27–29; cf. also Lk 9:18–20), is modified significantly here. The confession is of Jesus both as Messiah and as Son of the living God (Mt 16:16). Jesus’ response, drawn principally from material peculiar to Matthew, attributes the confession to a divine revelation granted to Peter alone (Mt 16:17) and makes him the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Mt 16:18) and the disciple whose authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven, i.e., by God (Mt 16:19).3
Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments that the Gospel today expresses the authority that God bestows on the Church to speak and act on God’s behalf. Peter, the rock of unity, has the power to hold the body together in Christ’s name, because he recognizes that Jesus is God’s voice on earth, that Jesus is the source of salvation and that he, Peter, must act in the manner of Jesus. The first and greatest gift a Pope must have is faith in God’s plan and gratitude for God’s salvation of all persons. Therein lies our human flourishing.
The key Peter has is the key to the “Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.” Only when we grasp this and heed the call to Unity with the Body of Christ in this world, will we really enter the Kingdom of God. Eternal life starts here and now in this moment, not when we go through the passage of the death of this body. Our joy, our hope, our human fulfillment lies in living in the Reign of God here and now – and Peter’s Chair and keys are symbols of the authority of God that helps that to happen by uniting us in a community of love.4
The Daily Scripture net quotes Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD), an early church father, who comments on Peter's profession of faith in Jesus.
Peter did not say "you are a Christ" or "a son of God" but "the Christ, the Son of God." For there are many christs [meaning anointed ones] by grace, who have attained the rank of adoption [as sons], but [there is] only one who is by nature the Son of God. Thus, using the definite article, he said, the Christ, the Son of God. And in calling him Son of the living God, Peter indicates that Christ himself is life and that death has no authority over him. And even if the flesh, for a short while, was weak and died, nevertheless it rose again, since the Word, who indwelled it, could not be held under the bonds of death. (FRAGMENT 190)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 16:13-19 comments that this feast is not a celebration of St. Peter’s life. What this feast does celebrate is God’s grace at work in Peter and his successors. It celebrates their role as teachers and guardians of the truths that Jesus handed on to Peter and the apostles. These are truths that Peter himself saw unfolding in real time during his life: the truths of salvation that flow from Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Over the centuries, the Church has had its share of scandals and corruption as well as its shining moments. But if you ever find yourself discouraged, remember Jesus’ words. Take comfort in knowing that when it comes to the Church, sin won’t have the last word; Jesus will. His grace—the same grace that sustained Peter and his successors—will continue to sustain the whole Church. It will always find a home in the hearts of the humble and the faithful. “Holy Spirit, keep protecting your Church from the darkness both within and without.”6
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Peter directs the leaders of communities to treat their flock in Jesus' Way as the Good Shepherd. The emergence of the Jordan River at Caesarea Philippi was connected to the gates of the netherworld. Friar Jude links the power to “bind and loose” to the rabbinic authority of interpretation of the Law.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces therapists Sue Johnson and Kenneth Sanderfer who write about how loved ones can deepen their emotional connection to each other and become more open to receiving God’s love. Even in a monastery, this link appears between devotion to a partner and devotion to God. At Sant’Antimo Abbey in the Tuscan hills, built some nine hundred years ago on the Via Francigena—the ancient pilgrims’ path to Rome—the monks’ chant echoes out from the soft stone at lauds, terce, sext, and vespers. They sing in joy, “O God, you are my God, at dawn and dusk, I search for you.” It is not accidental, surely, that the bell calling them to prayer is named “the spouse.”
In this sacred circle, where a sense of closeness to the divine and a loving connection with important others work in tandem, love is the gift that keeps on giving. Love for the divine guides and enhances bonding between partners, and the daily practice of love between partners helps to strengthen a sense of secure connection with God. The sacred circle is illustrated in this verse from 1 John 4:7: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”7
The Spirit guides us to a community wherein we live our faith and pray for leadership in the Way of the Good Shepherd.
References
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