THE KEY!
The title of my homily for this 21st Sunday in
Ordinary Time, Year A, is, “The Key!”
Key: just a 3 letter word – one that is simple, clear,
and a word we use and hear often. Key ….
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“Does anyone have an extra key?”
·
“The key to the problem is …”
·
“The key to success is …”
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“The key to a man’s heart is …”
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“The key to a woman’s heart is …”
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“What should I key in on?”
We get the reality. We know what a key is. We get the metaphor. We know what the image
signifies.
When you hear the word, “key,” what pops into your mind? Any memories? A lost key…. A found key…. The
first time your dad handed you the keys to the car.
I remember one of the first books we were presented with
in our novitiate for growth in spirituality: Keys to the Third Floor, by
Philip Dion. Later on I noticed the same title to a Super Mario computer game.
Once I learned something by accident – something I never
heard in pastoral counseling classes. It’s this: when you’re sitting with one
person who wants to talk to a priest and they take out their car keys – they
want to get out of there. It’s obvious – but it took me a while to realize
that. If people do that during homilies, I still haven’t seen that. Smile.
Keys: someone recently told me that a boss said, “The
number of keys a person has is in reverse proportion to the amount of power
they have.”
Is that true? I don’t know. I have to think about it. I have to ask others if they agree with that.
Key: something that opens a door or gate or closet or cabinet or desk drawer.
Key meaning: clue, cue, secret, hint, lead,
tip-off, crack, opening, sign, signal, door,
unwrap, unblock, uncover, unlock, explain, expose, interpret, translate, solve,
spell-out, clear up, shed light on, decipher, indicate, earmark, differentiate, feature….
Key….
COMMON
EXPERIENCES
We’ve all had the experience of being locked out. We’ve
all felt left out of conversations and decisions at times. We’ve all
experienced locked doors and gates and rooms. It might be we’re trying to move
up in a company or a government job. It might be trying to get a job in the
first place – and we just don’t know why we’re not being hired. What's the key that I'm missing? Or it might be a
group we’d like to be a member of – and nope - we feel ignored or locked or
blocked out.
We’ve all had the experience of trying to figure out, “What’s really going on here?” We’ve wondered – “How do I reach my teenage
daughter or my 22 year old son?” We’ve wondered: “How do I get to first base
with this person?” “How do I get so and
so to open up the door?” "Or open up their mind or heart?" We don’t have a key…. or a clue what to do. Ugh. Ugh.
Ugh.
TODAY’S READINGS
To come up with a homily for this Sunday, I do what I
always do: read the readings out loud and look for a key to the readings.
The first thought that hit me from today’s readings was from the gospel - Matthew 16: 13-20. It's the question Christ asks each one of us, “Who do you say that I am?”
If you want to go that way, you will have a really good key
question to wrestle with this week.
This week ask yourself: “Who is Christ to me?” Have I
changed my answers to that question down through the years? Getting to know Christ is to enter into the
depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God – as Paul puts it in
today’s second reading - from Romans 11: 33-36. And listen to how Paul concludes today’s short second
reading: “For from him and through him and for him are all things.”
That’s one homily thought….
Then I saw a second homily thought in the second half of
today’s gospel. After Simon Peter answers Jesus’ question on who he was – by
saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,”Jesus says to Peter amongst other things, “I will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
To have the keys is be the one who is in charge – to be
the papa – the father figure – the pope – the boss.
When people get to Rome, they visit the big basilica of St.
Peter’s. On the right we’ll spot the big dark bronze statue of Peter. He has
keys in his hands – but most notice his right foot. Compared to his left foot –
which is back a tiny bit and you can still see the individual toes – the right
foot is worn smooth. The tradition is to rub it or kiss this 13th
century statue – perhaps by Arnolfo di Cabio.
If you can’t get to Rome, check out our dark wooden mahogany communion rail
which has all the apostles. Some have with missing limbs and symbols – probably
from cleaning and being bumped down through the years. Peter is right down there just off the center
– the one with the key in one hand and a book in the other.Notice that his right foot is visible – with all his toes.
I’ve never saw anybody rubbing or kissing it. That would be too tricky - and it's kind of dusty. His left
foot can’t be seen – probably a practical trick by a sculptor or carver.
And we hear that same message about receiving the key to
the house in today’s first reading as well. Isaiah says of Eliakim, son of
Hilkial, “I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open.” [Cf. Isaiah 22: 19-23.]
Matthew’s gospel tell us that Peter was told by Jesus,
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
To me this is a key church text – because it’s evidence
that Peter has the first place in the
church between 80 and 90. Those are the dates scholars place the Gospel of
Matthew. Matthew comes after Mark’s Gospel [64-69], but before the year 110, because Ignatius of Antioch knows of the
Gospel of Matthew – and he’s as early as 110.[1]
So for starters a second homily thought for today is how
we see not just Christ, but also how we see the pope. A key to Christianity - at least according to the Catholic Church –
is how we see the Pope. Who do you say the pope is? And then his successors. So starting with
Peter, our first pope or papa, there have been 266 popes.
Looking at that list of 266, there have been some winners
and some losers, some saints and some sinners, some scholars and some soldiers.
Number 266 – Pope Francis seems to be doing well. I’ve
only read one life of him so far: Pope
Francis, Untying the Knots – by Paul Vallely. On the cover is a review from
the British Catholic Magazine, the Tablet: “Read this book, forget the rest.”
Having written lots of obituaries, having preached at
lots of funerals, having met lots of people, it’s my experience – that it’s
difficult – very difficult - to answer
the question: “Who do you say, I am?”
When it comes to Christ I can answer the question from
the scriptures and the creeds and prayer. But I know my answer will be very
different from the day I meet Jesus Christ, please God, in eternity when I die.
What this pope is like – or any pope is like – is a very
difficult question to answer.
Who would know him: his family, people he has worked
with, who? Who would know the key to understanding his personality?
Paul Vallely in his biography of Francis - makes the point that a key to understanding is his strong interest in a painting of Mary - entitled "Mary Untier of Knots." When he spotted that painting - he was handed a key to himself - that he was the type of person who needed to untie a lot of knots. [2]
So that leads me to my third and final point for the
homily
START WITH SELF
Before answering the questions – whom we think Christ is,
whom we think a pope is, perhaps sit down this week and answer the question:
who do I say I am?
What are the key ingredients that make me up? What have
been the key moments of my life? Whom have been the key people in my life?
After doing that – ask spouse or family or a close friend
– one to one: “What do your think are the keys to me?” “What do you see makes
me tick?” “What the keys to open me up –
and see what’s happening inside?”
Some answers might hurt? Some answers might be wrong?
Some answers might be challenging? Some answers might be eye openers? Some
answers might be life changers?
And maybe someone in return might ask right back at us,
the question Jesus asks in today’s gospel, “Who do you say, I am?”
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “The Key.”
If you don’t have your keys in your hands right now,
maybe there’s a key to some deeper spiritual growth here in this homily. Amen.
NOTES
[1] Benedict T. Viviano, O.P, "The Gospel According to Matthew," in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, p. 631
[2] Paul Vallely, Pope Francis Untying the Knots, pages ix -xii
