21^st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  -  A – 2023

ü  In the first reading God, by the voice of the prophet Isaiah, speaks to a steward from the king’s palace. This man, according from what Isaiah says to him, was unfaithful to his call. God tells him that he will be removed from his position.    

ü  In the Gospel Jesus promises to give to Peter the keys of the Kingdom, in some way He is saying that He will take them from the people of the election and give them to the new people.   

ü  Paul speaks of the wisdom of God, and says that everything is oriented toward Him 

FIRST READING   Is 22:19-23 

Ø  Who was  Shebna?

A high functionary of the palace of Hezekiah; a steward or treasurer (Is 22:15).    Isaiah reproaches him  because he has built into the rock a tomb for himself, and tells him that he will die in a foreign land    (ls. 22:15-19). He reproaches him because he has done that when his people was in danger.

Ø  And what do we know about Hezekiah?  
He was King when the Syrian army invaded Judah. This event has been recorded not only in the Bible, but also in a clay prism on which Sennacherib reported the same event. This prism is kept in the Oriental Museum of Chicago.  

The inscription on the prism says: The fear to my majesty terrorized Hezekiah who sent to me as a tribute: 800 pieces of silver, ivory and all sorts of gifts including some women from his palace. This confirms the biblical account found in 2 Reyes 18:13-15:

Ø  Isaiah gives to this steward a message from God. This man had forgotten that he was only a steward of goods that did not belong to him.   

Ø  In a kingdom the goods belong not only to the King but to the whole people as well.

Ø  This man had forgotten this and had used part of these goods to build for himself a tomb so that his name would be remembered. 

Ø  It is true that his name is remembered in history, but not to praise him, but to learn from him the need to be honest, simple and humble.

Ø  None of us in entitle to use our position for our own convenience.  Jesus never did it.

Ø  This positions or ministries are to give us the opportunity to do good and to serve.   

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM : Ps 138:  1-2a  2bc-3 6. 8bc 

LORD YOUR LOVE IS ETERNAL; DO NOT FORSAKE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS  

I will give thanks to you O Lord, with all my heart

For you have heard the words of my mouth

In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise

I will worship at your holy  temple.

LORD YOUR LOVE IS ETERNAL; DO NOT FORSAKE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS  

I will give thanks to your name

Because of your kindness and your truth

When I called you answered me

You built up strength within me.

LORD YOUR LOVE IS ETERNAL; DO NOT FORSAKE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS 

The Lord is exalted yet the lowly he sees

And the proud he knows from afar

Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;

Forsake not the work of your hands.

LORD YOUR LOVE IS ETERNAL; DO NOT FORSAKE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS   

ü  This psalm is a song of praise to God who never abandons the work of his hands.   

ü  But brings it to perfection,

ü  God has to be praised by all and for all.   

ü  What a wonderful thought to acknowledge that creation which does not have a voice, praises God by simply being!  

ü  We need to learn to listen to these voices that sing always and everywhere the praises of the Creator for his wonderful Works.  

GOSPEL  Mt 16:13-20

v  Jesus comes to the region of   Caesarea of Philippi.  

o   When they got there Jesus asked his disciples a question. It seems that he wants to know what people think of him.    

o   Knowing Jesus, we realize that this is not what he wants, that this question has another goal.     

o   Jesus is too free about himself to be preoccupied by the opinion of others.   

o   As we continue reading this story, we realize that the question leads the apostles to listen to the voice of the Father, who has the real answer about Jesus.   

v   Peter answers the question, Peter, the vehement Peter, has been able to listen in the depth of his heart the silent and at the same time loud voice of the Father.   

v  You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.   

v  Very good answer Peter, but certainly it is not yours it is the Father’s.   

v  And Jesus promises to Peter to make him the rock upon which his church will be built. The church that is the community of the faithful summoned by the love of the Triune God.  

v  He will also give to Peter the “keys” the stewardship of this Kingdom.  

v  Whatever you bind will be bound, and whatever you unbind will be unbound, in a word I give you my possessions my treasure to be administered by you on behalf of your brothers and sisters, who are also my brothers and sisters.   

v  The gospel message ends with one of those enigmatic prohibitions of Jesus.  

v  Some explain this as telling them, do not say this now but wait until after my resurrection because people are not ready now.

v  This gospel passage is used many times to ask us about who Jesus is?  

v  But this Sunday the emphasis is not on the person of Jesus, but of Peter upon which the Lord Jesus will build his church day by day with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit and ours as well. 

SECOND READING   Rom 11:33-36

      This Reading is a song of praise full of wonder to the wisdom of God.  

      Paul acknowledges, probably because he has experienced it in his own life, that the mind of God is unsearchable and his judgments are inscrutable, they are beyond our understanding.    

      And Paul asks himself    

o   Who knows the mind of God?   

o   Who gives him counsel?   

o   Who has given the Lord anything, that he may be repaid?

o   All has been made by Him and for Him.    

o   To Him the glory forever. Yes, the glory only to Him. 

CLARETIAN CORNER 

When he arrived to the archdiocese, he took possession, accommodated his "relatives"  (this is how he called his collaborators) and met with the Chapter, greeted the civil authorities and began his overwhelming pastoral action. But first he puts his ministry as pastor in the hands of Mary. " Fifteen days after our arrival we went to visit the image of Our Lady of Charity in the city of Cobre... which is held in great devotion by the inhabitants of the Island... “After returning to the city of Santiago, capital of the Diocese, I began the mission that lasted until March 25.”  His pastoral visits were long, intense and well planned... the clergy had to prepare their people, before he arrived and there was a more immediate preparation with the sending of missionaries who would go preaching, visiting, gathering the population. All this he did in shared mission with his collaborators... Another important action carried out during the visits and missions was the distribution of religious materials... The care of the human and religious life of his sheep is also sought by attending to and improving the situation of the clergy and diocesan seminary. He knows that it is urgent, for the pastors in order to get out of their misery and to be able to carry out their mission worthily, to have a just retribution for their pastoral work, the appropriate formation and to erect more parishes.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GALERÓN, María Soledad RMI. Llamada que la Memoria de Significativos Acontecimientos Históricos Congregacionales nos hacen Hoy.  Santiago de Cuba 2023.

PAGOLA, José A.   El camino abierto por Jesús. PPC 2012

STOCK, Klemens. La Liturgia de la Palabra. Ciclo A (Mateo)  2007

LA BIBLIA, traducción tomada de la página web del Vaticano. 

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