A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah

(Chapter 22:19-23)

This is the sad story of two men who, in turn, held a powerful position in the royal house, being master of the palace. “Thus says the Lord to Shebna, master of the palace: ‘I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority.”

That seems to be it. God choses a new man who will be faithful and do the right thing. Shebna has been a bad, self-absorbed leader, so God chooses Eliakim who will do better. But that is not the end of the story, because Eliakim turns out no better and abuses his power to enrich his relatives.

This passage prepares us for the gospel reading in today’s Mass in which Jesus promises the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” to Peter, who will faithfully carry out his responsibilities. Does God ask less of us?

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 138:1-2, 2. 3. 6-8)

“Lord, your love is eternal: do not forsake the work of your hands.” Another verse follows: “When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.” This is certainly a time when we need to call out to the Lord. He does not forsake us nor the millions of people who are in far worse condition than most of us and for whom we pray.

A reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

(Chapter 11:33-36)

This is the way Paul ends his Letter to the Romans:

“Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgements and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever.”

Paul was always aware that all that we have and all that we are is all gift. We do not have a “deal” with God: “You do this for me God, and I will do this for you.” Our very lives and all that we have are gifts. Let us give thanks today and every day. Even on, no—especially on the days when we do not feel especially gifted.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

(Chapter 16:13-20)

This reading has a question from Jesus, an answer from Peter, and a calling from Jesus to Peter. Here is the question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The disciples tell Jesus what people are saying: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Good guesses, but no. Finally, “Simon Peter said in reply, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ … Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.’”

Then comes Peter’s calling from Jesus: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Peter is the one chosen by God, but Peter is far from perfect. At a crucial time, he denies Jesus, and after Jesus dies Peter is on the wrong side of one of the first major decisions for the early Church—whether non-Jewish converts must be circumcised. Peter says yes, but Paul says no. Peter eventually agrees. He is not perfect, but he is always faithful.

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Painting: Peter the Apostle holding the keys to heaven and the pallium, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1610-1612. Museo del Prado. Public domain.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
 
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah

(Chapter 56:1, 6-7)

The context for this passage is the return of the Jewish people from exile in Babylon in the sixth century before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah starts off with a call and a promise: “Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.” There were many foreigners who wanted to convert to Judaism. “Them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer…. For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” Isaiah is proclaiming a much more inclusive religion, one that welcomes foreigners.

Our Catholic Church in the United States has always welcomed immigrants and foreigners, including our own ancestors. Today, immigrants are still a growing part of our Church, and we welcome them.

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8)

“O God, let all the nations praise you.” Imagine, if that really happened!

A reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

(Chapter 11:13-15, 29-32)

Paul refers to himself as “the apostle to the gentiles,” and he is saying that both Jews and gentiles have a history of rejecting Jesus. Yet, from their disobedience has come reconciliation. “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? … For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.”

God made a promise to the Jewish people and, even though many of them rejected Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, the promise remains. “Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that , by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. … For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all,”

Have you thought very much about God’s mercy? Pope Francis has and has written about mercy because he experienced it many years after he made a decision that harmed some of his fellow Jesuits in Argentina.

Whatever you or I may have done, the loving mercy of God is always there for us. We need only ask for it and express genuine sorrow.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

(Chapter 15:21-28)

Matthew wrote his Gospel especially for his fellow Jews. So, at first, he has Jesus being reluctant to deal with a Canaanite woman because she was not a Jew. “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” The disciples were annoyed at her. “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” But the woman did not give up. “Lord, help me.” Then, Jesus said something that seemed to be a rejection: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” The woman was desperate and not deterred. “‘Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.’ … Jesus said to her in reply, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ … And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.”

Matthew clearly sees the mission of Jesus as the savior of Israel and yet, he adds this story that expands the mission of Jesus to all people. The lesson for us is perseverance, even when we too are desperate, frustrated, and almost without hope. God hears us but not necessarily on our time.

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Statue of St. Paul by Pierre-Etienne Monnot, Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome. Photo © by Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
 
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.

A reading from the first Book of Kings

(Chapter 9:9a, 11-13a)

How and when do we experience God in our everyday lives? I have written a book about that experience. It is called

“At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. The Lord then said to him, ‘Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.’”

So, Elijah stood outside and along came a heavy wind that crushed rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not there either. Next came fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. “After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.”

That’s right, God was not in any of the powerful forces of nature, but rather in a tiny whisper. Of course, God does communicate to us in extreme or troubled times, but what about the quiet whispers that might come at any time, in any place—in prayer, and also during the everyday, ordinary times when we may least expect it. Has that ever happened to you? God is full of surprises if we have open hearts.

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14)

“Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.” When have you experienced the Lord’s kindness recently? Was it through the kindness of another person toward you or someone you love? Was it a physical or emotional or spiritual healing? How have you expressed your gratitude?

A reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

(Chapter 9:1-5)

Paul was a devout Jew before his conversion and had a deep sorrow in his heart for his fellow Jews. “Brothers and sisters: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises: theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”

Paul expresses a powerful, heartfelt emotion. He would give up everything for the conversion of his people. Of course, many Jews did follow Christ. They were among the first who did. Yet, others did not, and that was heartbreaking for Paul.

Many of us have also had heartbreaking moments when our children or grandchildren seem to have lost their faith or moved to a different faith. But we continue to love them and pray for them, believing that the Spirit of God continues to live in each of them, whatever we may think and however we may feel.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

(Chapter 14:22-33)

Have you ever been out in a boat in very bad weather? Jesus has just fed the multitudes, and now he is with the apostles who are going to fish. Jesus goes off by himself to pray.

“Meanwhile, the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came towards them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said and they cried out in fear. At once, Jesus spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’”

The impetuous Peter starts off okay, but then he becomes frightened by the waves and starts to sink. “He cried out, “‘Lord, save me.’ Immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

This is not the only time that Peter lost his courage. As we know, he denied Jesus three times the night that Jesus was arrested. Yet, Jesus forgave him again and made him the leader of the apostles. Imagine that—a man with a big heart and a deep faith in Jesus, who was trusted by Jesus, failed him, and still Jesus called him to be the leader of the early Church.

Throughout the history of the Church, many of its leaders, including popes, have failed to live up to the trust given them; and yet, others have come forward in true leadership and the Spirit has guided them and us. We must have faith in the Spirit, especially in these challenging times.

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Painting: Walking on Water by Ivan Ayvazovsky (1817-1900). Public domain.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
 
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.

A reading from the Book of Daniel

(Chapter 7:9–10, 13–14)

In this passage from Jewish Scriptures, we encounter an image—“Son of Man”—that is familiar to Christians because it is repeated many times in the Gospels. Specifically, it is a term that Jesus applied to himself. Some scholars believe that Jesus used the title, rather than calling himself “Son of God,” because it did not have a connotation that would immediately trigger opposition from his critics among the Jewish religious establishment. Perhaps people who were not instantly drawn into a theological argument with Jesus would listen to him long enough to discover, on their own, that his identity was more than the human being they perceived with their senses. All these centuries later, we understand that Jesus had the nature of God but also shared our human nature, making him our most intimate link to the divine.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 97:1–2, 5–6, 9

The psalm reminds us of God’s preeminence but notice that it mentions in particular that God is “exalted above all other gods.” That reference reflects the fact that belief in multiple gods was commonplace when this psalm was written. The reference still has meaning for us, though, because anything that captures our attention to the extent that it becomes more important to us than our worship of God is, in our lives, a lesser god that should be put in its proper place or exorcized altogether.

A reading from the Second Letter of Peter

(Chapter 1:16–19)

This letter, while it may not have been composed directly by the hand of Peter, certainly has its origins in the apostolic age and, therefore, in the faith that has been handed down to us from Peter and the other apostles. This letter reminds us that our faith is rooted not in ancient mythology but in the lived experience of those who traveled with Jesus, learned from him, and witnessed first-hand the evidence of his divinity, including the mysterious event we celebrate today.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

(Chapter 17:1–9)

How reassuring it would be if we could “see” God every day as the apostles saw him in the blazing light in the event described in today’s gospel reading. But Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that in this life our relationship with God is a matter of listening, not of seeing. Our path in this life, the pope wrote, is illuminated by “the interior light that is kindled in us by the Word of God.’’

For an example, the Benedict turned to Mary, who was closest to God among all human beings and yet “still had to walk day after day in a pilgrimage of faith,” constantly meditating on God’s word in Scripture and on the events in the life of her son, Jesus.

It is Mary who first told us regarding her son, “Listen to him,’’ the words that would be spoken by the Father during the epiphany on the mountaintop.

This, Pope Benedict said, “is the gift and duty for each one of us. … to listen to Christ, like Mary. To listen to him in his Word, contained in Sacred Scripture. To listen to him in the events of our lives, seeking to decipher in them the messages of Providence. Finally, to listen to him in our brothers and sisters, especially in the lowly and the poor, to whom Jesus himself demands our concrete love. To listen to Christ and obey his voice: this is the principal way, the only way, that leads to the fullness of joy and of love.’’

 ✝️

 

Image: Transfiguration by Alexander Ivanov, 1824. Public domain.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.

Pope Benedict XVI made the remarks quoted here during the Angelus in St. Peter's Square on March 12, 2006.
 
Charles Dominick Paolino is managing editor at RENEW International and a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Metuchen.

A reading from the first Book of Kings

(Chapter 3:5, 7-12)

Have you ever heard the phrase “the Wisdom of King Solomon”? This is where it originated.

“The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, ‘Ask something of me and I will give it to you.’ Solomon answered, ‘Give your servant … an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?’ The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request. So God said to him: ‘Because you have asked for this—not for a long life for yourself, not for riches, not for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right—I do what you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.’”

Solomon could have asked for anything, but he asked for the one really important quality that would make him a great ruler, the wisdom to serve the people.

When you pray, what do you ask of God? Is it a series of things that seem important at the time, or is it what is truly important in your life and in the lives of those around you?

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130)

“Lord, I love your commands.” Really? Do we always love God’s commands—not only the Ten Commandments but personal callings from God at different points in our lives?

A reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

(Chapter 8:28-30)

There is a provocative statement in this reading: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.” Do you believe that? Always? Sometimes, the “good” is hard to see in the moment, but eventually, you get it or at least accept it. But there are other things, other occurrences that you never seem to understand. Why did this person that you loved die at such a young age? Why were you treated so unjustly at work? Why did a person that you loved leave you? How can a horrible disease like cancer be a part of God’s plan? What good can come out of it?

Where is God amid so many disappointments and tragedies? God is always there, somehow, somewhere, in the love of supportive people, in the wisdom and care of people who somehow appear in our lives at crucial times, in our conversations with the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Yes! “All things work for good for those who love God.” The road is often bumpy and the journey painful, and still we travel on our everlasting journey into the mystery of God’s everlasting love.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

(Chapter 13:44-52)

Jesus preached a Kingdom but not of this world. To explain it, he used parables that the people could understand. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and then hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Jesus also talks, in this discourse, about fisherman separating the good fish from the bad.

The point of all these parables is that the kingdom of heaven is a gift to each of us, not something we have earned. We need to accept the gift and experience it as what is most important in our lives. Let us behold the gift of new life, eternal life, that we have been given and live and share it joyfully, especially in our times of greatest challenge and need.

 ✝️

 

Image: The parable of the hidden treasure (left) paired with the parable of the pearl on a stained-glass window in Scots' Church, Melbourne 

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
 
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.