In our Gospel we were told, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
From the Book of Isaiah we were instructed on these keys, “I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open.”
These keys are again referenced for us in the Book of Revelation, “The holy one, the true, who holds the key of David, who opens and no one shall close, who closes and no one shall open.”
Here we must understand that David and his descendants, all being the anointed kings of Judah, needed assistance in governing. This gives way to the position of the Master of the Palace that we heard of in our first reading. The person who holds this position wore special robes which indicated his authority and he was entrusted with the keys to the kingdom. These keys become a symbol of the authority that was given to him by the king.
We must remember that Jesus is of the royal lineage of King David. He looks upon Saint Peter and entrusts him with the authority that was found in the position of the Master of the Palace. We know that Saint Peter was the first pope of the Church and that these keys have become a symbol of the papacy. As we move forward throughout the history of the Church this is a reality that extends from Saint Peter all the way to Pope Francis and his successors.
Peter is that rock on which Christ chose to found His Church. As the Lord stated, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Here we should notice that the Lord changes Simon’s name to Peter which shows the special role of authority that had been entrusted to him. He becomes a rock because he is the solid foundation upon which a community would be built much like Abraham was considered a rock for the Jewish people. There are those who use the Greek translation to state that the Lord is referring to a small rock, but this is not the case with the Aramaic langue that the Lord would of used.
Peter and his successors are empowered by the Holy Spirit and make sure that the truth of Christ and His Church is always protected. Papal infallibility does not mean that truth is up for grabs. The Holy Father is called upon to protect and proclaim the truths of faith that have been entrusted to His care. Just like the Master of the Palace he has been entrusted with so much. Let us never forget to pray for Francis our pope.
As people of faith may we always remain united to the truths that have been entrusted to us by Christ Jesus. Where there is difficulty in understanding find ways to educate yourself on the faith in order to form your conscience in the ways of the faith. In all things let us stay united to Christ through the Church that He has established on this earth.
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