Under the Authority of Christ
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 16: 21-27 - Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priest, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
The Church has divided up parts of Scripture to be read daily and weekly in the Liturgy. This way, over the course of a year, Catholics read, or hear, much of Scripture. Because the readings are divided this way, we can often lose our sense of the flow of the Gospel events. The order of the Gospel accounts doesn’t always seem logical. So, it’s important to point out that today’s Gospel passage from Matthew comes directly after Jesus places His authority on Peter, establishing him as the first pope (Matthew 16:16-19). As the Gospel reads, “From that time” (Matthew 16:21) Jesus begins to speak to His disciples about His suffering, Death, and Resurrection in Jerusalem.
This is no coincidence, of course. Jesus places His own authority on the pope the and bishops before He goes to His Death. It is in much the same way that a person anticipating their own death writes a will, so that when they die their property will be distributed and cared for as they wish. The Church belongs to Christ; it is under His authority. So, Jesus passes on His authority to teach and to heal to the Church—to Peter, the pope, and to the other apostles. The pope and bishops will then use Jesus’ authority to teach and to heal (via the Sacraments) until Jesus returns at the end of time. We must pray for our pope and bishops, and we must respect their positions. They need our prayers. And we need to follow their teachings and to receive the Sacraments they administer.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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