August 23, 2020: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the 2nd reading, St. Paul marvels at our Mighty God, Who is so beyond what any of us can fathom, because He is the source of all.

We can certainly marvel that God has chosen us, mere humans He has created, to be part of His purposes.

Jesus acknowledged that Simon's proclamation of Him as the Christ came from the Heavenly Father.  He then gives him a new name, Peter, and signifies he will be the rock upon which the church will be built.  Much like God grants to Eliakim, a worthy servant, Jesus gives Peter authority to advance the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth as the Church is built, which we see is through the teaching and advancement of God's Truths.

We continue to see that authority passed down through the ages to the leadership of the Church today.  I saw this authority represented in a special way 5 years ago today when Cardinal Vigano invested then-Archbishop Cupich with the pallium, which represents his role as Shepherd in the office of the Archbishop of Chicago.

Our leaders derive their authority from that which Christ granted to St. Peter and the Apostles, who were succeeded by the Pope and the bishops, and so through them, we can sense a connection to the Apostles, who were so close to Christ.

In a world that is swayed by relativism and even various ideas about who Jesus is, we can confidently acclaim that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God", as we, like living stones that St. Peter writes about in 1 Peter, can be built on the unshakable foundation of Christ.

That is a reality I embraced in a whole new way 11 years ago when my sense of faith was powerfully enlivened when, as the threshold of my college years, I attended Mass for the first time at St. Teresa of Avila (Roman) Catholic Student Center.

Back there to celebrate the anniversary today, Father Chris shared in his homily that even when our faith wavers, we can still count on the Church to support us, because Christ is present in it, and supporting it as the unbreakable foundation.

Thanks be to God that He gives us such a foundation in Christ, and empowers us to live the faith that declares Him for Who He is.