Twenty-fourth day of Ordinary Time – Year B

Posted by diaconos on 6 September 2021

Tu es Petrus is a Latin phrase from the Gospel of St Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18. The three words are the first of the verse which, according to the Catholic Church, Jesus Christ entrusts to the Apostle Peter to govern his Church: « You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church ». The verse, set to music in the form of a motet or liturgical hymn, is commonly sung at celebrations attended by the Pope.

This verse from the Gospel of Matthew is the scriptural argument often presented by the Catholic Church to attest to the primacy of Peter among the apostles. Others are taken from the book of Acts (Acts 15:2, 14, 15:7) where it is clear that Peter had a special place in the early Church. Since Peter became bishop of Rome, the Catholic Church ensures that Peter’s successors in the episcopal see of Rome enjoy the same primacy in the college of bishops of the Church. For Catholics, the episode of Peter and John’s visit to the tomb (Jn 20:3-8) confirms the primacy of the disciple Peter.

While the various Christian Churches as a whole recognise the apostolic primacy of the successor of Peter in the episcopal see of Rome, the way in which this ministry has developed over the centuries and is exercised today by Pope Francis is not accepted by these same non-Catholic Christian Churches and communities. At the base of the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome one can read Tu es Petrus and the words of Jesus Christ to Peter recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 16, 18,19). The letters are very large (two metres high each) and are black on a golden background.

The scripture verse is illuminated by the 16 stained glass windows of the dome, a typical architectural work by Michelangelo. In Christianity, the keys are the keys to the kingdom of heaven for St Peter: « And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven » (Mt 16, 18-19).

From the Gospel according to Mark

27 Jesus went with his disciples to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, « Who do people say that I am? « 28 They answered him, « John the Baptist, » others, « Elijah, » and others, « one of the prophets. 29 He asked them, « What do you say? Who do you think I am ? Peter answered, « You are the Christ. 30 Then he forbade them emphatically to speak of him to anyone.

31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 Jesus spoke these words openly. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him sharply. 33 But Jesus turned and, seeing his disciples, called Peter sharply, « Get away from me, Satan! Your thoughts are not of God, but of men.

34 Calling the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them, « If anyone wishes to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mk 8, 27-35)

Jesus recognised as the Christ by Peter

On the way to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples about the opinions that had been expressed about him. They told him some of them. Jesus asked them how they felt about him. Peter proclaimed him to be the Christ. Jesus forbade the disciples to say so. Jesus then began to announce categorically his death and resurrection. Peter tried to rebuke him, but was in turn rebuked by Jesus.

Jesus called the crowd together with his disciples and said that to follow him one must take up one’s cross: « Whoever wants to save his life will lose it. Now the soul is of such price that the whole world cannot compensate for its loss, for we must look forward to the time when Jesus, coming to judgement, will be ashamed of everyone who has been ashamed of him. Many will not die until they see the kingdom of God come with power.

After Peter’s confession, Jesus addressed to him the words that have become famous in the history of the Church: « Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah ». In his preaching, Peter did not recount what could have elevated him in the eyes of his hearers. Rather, he recalled what would have humbled him.

Whatever Mark’s reason for not mentioning the promise of Jesus to Peter, we cannot fail to find this reflection of Theodore de Bèze very apt: « Who will believe that neither Peter nor Mark would have omitted the famous You are Peter », if they had considered that the foundation of the Church consisted in these words?

Peter rebuked Jesus and Jesus rebuked Peter. As Jesus turned away from Peter and walked toward his disciples, he sensed the impression they might have received from Peter’s careless words, and feared that they shared his feelings too much; so he gave a salutary severity to his rebuke. All must lose their lives for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel.

What use is it to each one to have preserved his life and to have conquered the whole world, if Jesus, on the day when he will come in his glory to regulate the final destiny of all, declares him unworthy to have a part in his kingdom and excludes him from it?

Deacon Michel Houyoux

Links to other Christian websites

◊ Catholic for live  HOMILY FOR THE 24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

◊  My Catholic Live  The Divine Law of Our Lord The Divine Law of Our Lord 

♥  John MacArthur : « The Marks of a Real Church (Matthew 16) »