The Mystery of God’s Love
To All,
In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Matthew 16:13-20), Jesus asks his disciples what the people are saying about Him. They answer that the people consider Him as one of the prophets. So, then He asks them what do they think. And Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” After Jesus affirms this answer as coming from God, He says,
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.”
In the last few years, I have focused a bit on Jesus saying, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” I focus on that because the Gospels tell us that Peter had to go through a lot to be able to receive the keys to the kingdom. There was a lot he didn’t understand as yet. We will see this in next Sunday’s reading.
Peter still had to experience Jesus’ death and Resurrection. He had to receive the Holy Spirit. And finally, he became a martyr for the Gospel.
Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection still do not fit the conventional view of the world. For the last few Sundays, as we have been moving through St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see that Paul has been trying to understand the acceptance by the Gentiles and the rejection by the Israelites of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In our second reading for this Sunday (Romans 11:33-36), he seems to finally accept that it is beyond his power to fully comprehend the situation and surrenders to the wisdom of God:
“Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments 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 he may be repaid?’”
What Paul says about the acceptance by the Gentiles and the rejection by the Israelites could just as well be said about the mystery of our faith: Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection for our salvation. The extent of God’s love for us is still beyond our full comprehension or our power to fully describe it. Both Peter and Paul had to go through a lot to have some understanding of God’s love and mercy toward us. And both were martyred for their faith.
We may not completely understand God’s love for us (“who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid?”). We may not understand why crosses come into our lives. But the Cross of Jesus tells us that we can trust in God’s love for us, even when we’re carrying some cross. Jesus’ Resurrection tells us that we can live in hope; that we can continue to share God’s love with others, working for justice, caring for the earth, and making peace.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
