To understand the Gospel reading for this Sunday more fully, we need to consider the geographical location where the passage takes places. Jesus goes with the disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a town situated in the modern day territory of the Golan Heights in Israel. The area had many pagan temples and was notorious for the rituals practiced there.
The most horrific of these rituals was performed at the mouth of a cave known as the Gates of Hell. Here parents performed child sacrifice, killing their own children, in order to obtain favors from their gods. The very idea of visiting this area would have been shocking to the disciples.
But Jesus goes to this spot to proclaim a new order. After Peter attests that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), Jesus says: "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Over and against the depravity of the pagan practices, Jesus proclaims the Church, which is to bring God's infinite love to all human beings.
As the passage goes on, Jesus also reveals to the disciples that he must be crucified and then be raised from the dead. Peter had correctly named him as Christ, which means the Anointed One, the Messiah, but now he protests. He cannot accept the idea that the Messiah would suffer and die. Jesus responds with fierce harshness, calling Peter "Satan." The path of the Messiah is self-sacrificial love, even unto death upon the Cross. The Church that Jesus builds is based upon this same self-sacrificial love. In contrast to the pagan values practiced at Caesarea Philippi, where parents murdered their own children to gain some worldly advantage, the values of the Church entail giving our own lives so that others may live. Peter must come to understand the true values of the Messiah - and in time he will. He will accept martyrdom for Christ.
We might feel fortunate that we do not live in such barbaric times as the apostles. Or do we? How many millions of children have been aborted for the convenience of their parents? How many ill people have been persuaded to undergo euthanasia so that their families or society at large would not need to take care of them? Those are the more drastic examples. But there are others as well. Children neglected by parents who are more interested in their own pursuits. The elderly who are abandoned by their busy families. Sick relatives who suffer alone because they are an inconvenience to other family members. Or on a larger scale, we should pause to reflect on whether or not we gain economically from the suffering and exploitation of others. All these examples, and there are many more, evince the same values as the pagan practices against which Christ proclaimed the Church.
Throughout the New Testament, the Roman Empire is seen as the embodiment of the pagan values contrary to Christ - which underscores the significance of the location of Caesarea Philippi. Among the many temples in the town was one dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, the founder of the Roman Empire. The Empire demanded the worship of certain emperors and more generally the worship of the concept of Rome as the ruler of the world. Augustus was famous for the Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome, but this peace was not a true peace, but was founded on the cruel oppression and exploitation of many peoples, including the Israelites. In contrast to this Roman order, Jesus proclaimed the Church, the new order that is founded on self-sacrificial love.
At the time, most people would have scoffed at the idea that the small ragtag group chosen by Christ would become a movement that would not only outlast the mighty Roman Empire but would conquer it spiritually. But so it happened. In fact, the City of Rome, which was once the center of the Empire, became the center of the global Church established by Christ.
We too should reflect on what is truly enduring. Do we put our faith in political parties and movements, in mighty nations and their weapons, or do we put our faith in Christ? Healthy patriotism is a virtue. We are to love, respect, and defend the nation that gives us a home. But Christ must come before every other allegiance. The self-sacrificial love of Christ must come before every earthly value.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the two apostles whose feast we celebrate this Sunday, both showed this complete dedication to Christ in their lives. Their work made them pillars of the Church and in time they both gave their lives for the faith. Saint Paul's journey is especially powerful in that he started out as a bitter enemy of Christianity. But then Christ revealed himself to him and from that moment, Christ became absolutely central to Paul's life. In fact, Paul spent the rest of his life carrying out his new commitment and only goal - to proclaim Christ to as many people as possible.
The example of St. Paul is particularly important for Christianity. By the time Paul started his attacks on the Church, Christ had already died, risen, and returned to Heaven. Though Christ is always present in the Church, he was no longer walking the earth. And yet, Paul had a personal encounter with him and immediately came to worship him. Christ became the organizing principle of his entire existence. Paul's relationship with Christ was not like the relationship we might have with a great teacher or moral exemplar, whose teachings we might follow and whose example we might seek to emulate. No. Paul encountered the living Christ and worshipped him for who he is, the Living God.
We are to do likewise. We are not just to learn from the teachings of Christ or to be inspired by the example of his good deeds. We are to do much more. We are to worship him as our Lord and God. We are to shape our lives to reflect his self-sacrificial love in all that we do.
||
The readings for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Mass during the Day, Cycle C, are:
Acts 12:1-11
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16:13-19
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: High altar of the subsidiary church St. Peter and Paul in Lavant, East Tyrol, Austria, from Wikimedia Commons.
