Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” July-August 2023

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
1st week, Psalter cycle

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 22:19-23)
Thus says the Lord to Shebna, master of the palace: “I will remove you from your office; I will drive you from your position. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, gird him with your sash, and hand your authority over to him. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a firm place, and he will become a throne of glory for his father’s house.” – The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

Shebna was a foreigner who, no one knows exactly how, came to be King Hezekiah’s master of the palace, a role that was very important at the time because he was responsible for the affairs of the king’s palace and for organizing the monarch’s life. This was not right, and Isaiah, spokesman for the God of Israel, announced that he would be replaced by someone more worthy of the role, a man named Eliakim. The oracle may seem insignificant, but the words God speaks concerning this new and legitimate master of the palace apply perfectly to the coming Christ: he will have the keys to the house of David and will be “a throne of glory,” while such expressions are in fact somewhat excessive for an ordinary master of the palace of that time. It will be Jesus, true God and true man, who will perfectly enable entry into the Father’s house, not by opening or closing gates, but through the sacrifice of the cross; and likewise, Jesus will be a “throne” (a concept expressing kingship) of glory in Paradise. This confirms the way we must read the Old Testament: everything announces Christ and speaks of him.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 11:33-36)
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given him anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. – The word of God. 

Commentary on the second reading

At the end of the section in which the Letter to the Romans addresses the theme of the salvation of the Jews, Paul bursts into this cry of rejoicing, which ultimately applies to all of God’s works. We could memorize this short hymn, or write it on a sheet of paper and always keep it at hand, in order to thank God properly whenever he intervenes in our lives in some way. It is easy, in fact, for us to forget thanksgiving and gratitude, not only for the graces we have received, but for everything. Saint Paul, on the other hand, is a man accustomed to giving thanks, and his letters are full of these sudden expressions of gratitude. The very word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving,” showing that the supreme and central Mystery of our Christian life is not an event that is owed to us or earned by merit, but a gift of love, for which an attitude of worship and gratitude is required of us. Jesus himself gives thanks and praises the Father several times in the Gospel, and the Virgin Mary, after receiving Elizabeth’s greeting, raises her voice to magnify the Father for the works he has accomplished.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 16:13-20)
At that time, when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them: “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 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.” Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

Why does Jesus order his apostles to tell no one that he was the Christ? Had he not come into the world precisely to reveal himself, to show who he was and thus be recognized as God and Savior? Because the time had not yet come. People had confused ideas about Jesus’ identity: for some he was a prophet, someone who had the spirit of the Baptist or of a new Jeremiah, and so on. During the three years of his public life, Jesus never presents himself by saying: “I am God! Kneel down and worship!” No, the right time to fully recognize the divinity of the Lord is when he goes up on the cross to carry out the divine sacrifice, so much so that only at the final trial does he declare and definitively reveal himself before Caiaphas: “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?” “You have said so; I am!” And because of this declaration, Caiaphas tears his robes and hands him over to be put to death. But Peter too, at that crucial moment, does not recognize him and publicly denies him three times. Therefore, to recognize Jesus in his mission as Savior, we must go beneath the cross, accept his sacrifice, repent of our sins, and be reborn to a new life. This is what happens every time at Mass.