Sunday, August 24, 2014 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st Reading: Isaiah 22:19-23 2nd Reading: Romans 11:33-36 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “What do people say of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?” They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. “And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE (Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience) As a teenager I was given the lion’s share of abuses from clerics. At one time in a boarding school a cleric named Bro. Toto Sean Prado (not his real name) asked me one night to close the windows of our dormitory. All the lights were already off and my dorm mates were already in bed. Because we were occupying an old building in the school compound the sliding windows were very large and they were too heavy for my tiny arms to close. With all my might and all my strength I was able to close them all but not without making noise. Drenched in perspiration I returned to my bed. But the cleric was there waiting for me and scolded me for the noise. As a punishment he asked me to open all those windows again and close them quietly thereafter. He just had too much power. The greater the power, the greater is the temptation to lord it over the powerless. Priests and religious are vulnerable to power tripping because the powerful Church they serve derives power from Christ himself who gave the keys of heaven to Peter. Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, S.J., speaking before priests during a 2002 Priests’ Congress identified the sources of the power of churchmen, specifically priests. He said that through institutional appointment, the priest has the power to administer the sacraments, to interpret the Word of God and to administer the parish he is assigned to. Culture has also made priests powerful. In our culture, priests stand for something beyond ourselves; they are symbols of the divine. The priests’ personal competence, (being trained the longest among professionals), also make them stand out in the community. When priests are true to their mission, they can even derive power from the trust and respect of the people. But churchmen must be aware that if there is so much power placed at their disposal, it is because priesthood is a call to burdensome service. When the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter, it was not for Peter and his successors to abuse. Power should be used to serve and to empower others. This is why the best image of a priest is shepherd. The shepherd has power over the sheep, but that power works only for the good of each sheep. - Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail. Website: frdan.org. Prayer for the day: God our Father, bless or priests so that they may stand as witnesses to your love for all people. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Title: The power to serve CHURCH BULLETIN: SAINT OF THE DAY: Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Christ himself. He was born at Cana in Galilee and was named Nathaniel. He preached the Gospel to India and to the most barbaric countries in the East. The apostle also brought the Faith to Armenia where he converted many from idolatry and where he also suffered martyrdom. Tradition said that he was condemned to be flayed alive. His skin was cut into strips and removed, leaving the saint agonizing with his flesh open and bleeding for a long time, before being beheaded.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:44:12 +0000
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