“The Keys of the Kingdom”

The two main readings today both feature keys.  First of all, we hear part of the story which took place in the time of King Hezekiah.  The master of his palace, called Shebna, proved to be unworthy and so the Lord God called Eliakiam to take his place.  “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David.”

This key was obviously a mark of authority, power, trust and responsibility.  As the Lord says, “He shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”  Eliakim is to be greatly honoured.

In the Gospel reading, after Simon Peter has proved himself by saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Jesus likewise invests him with great authority and power.  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

It would be easy to conclude that these readings really apply to those with authority in the Church, such as priests, bishops and cardinals.  But since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, we have come to understand more and more “the priesthood of all believers.”  Through baptism, each Catholic shares in the priestly ministry of Jesus.

This means that in different ways, each one of us has been given keys: power and authority within our families, our workplaces, our community, our parish.  We are called to exercise this ministry in the humble way that Jesus did, as the Servant King.

In the homily this weekend, I will be looking at some of “keys” that we have been given and how we might use them.  We have power to unlock things, as well as to lock things up.  

God bless, Fr Kevin.