21st Sunday, Year A                                                                                          August 24, 2014
Steadfast Love
 “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”  In this way, Jesus appointed Peter to lead his church. Now, as the gospels amply attest, Peter was by no means the brightest or the best of Jesus’ disciples by any normal reckoning. He was not top of the class or “first eleven” material. Indeed, despite recognising that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, as the gospel reading tells us today, when Jesus was later on trial and about to be executed, Peter would three times publicly deny that he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Later still, when Peter saw the empty tomb, he would also be slow to believe that the Lord had risen, not like the beloved disciple who saw and believed without hesitation. So often, Peter would be slow to understand. 
But despite all his failings and floundering and the fragility of his faith, Peter loved Jesus deeply. His love was steadfast and solid as a rock. And so Jesus, with a special love for Peter, entrusted to him the leadership of his fledgling flock. After Jesus’ ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter would go on fearlessly to proclaim far and wide the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  This led to his own death by crucifixion.
In many ways, in Peter we see a little of ourselves: our slowness to understand Jesus’ teaching, our failures and floundering, and the fragility of our own faith. Like Peter, we often falter. But in the example of Peter we learn that it is not our fragility or failings that ultimately matter. What matters above all else is our love for Jesus. We demonstrate this in our desire to hold fast to him and to follow him; to learn from him and to walk in his ways. We don’t have to be clever. We don’t have to know it all. It is our love and, like Peter, our willingness to accept forgiveness and to press on in love and service.
In Jesus and in Peter we are also reminded of a distinctly Christian style of leadership. A Christian leadership style is grounded in a relationship of love. As Paul tells us, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13: 4-7). A Christian leadership style is averse to any notion of dominion or lording it over others. It does not seek power and privilege for its own sake, nor is it concerned for the trappings and trinkets of power and wealth. Rather, it is steadfastly concerned to be of service to others and to the common good. 
Anne Hunt
© Redemptorists 2014

2660A.rtf

	Antiphons for the Mass

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON (or a hymn)  Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me; save the servant who trusts in you, my God. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Ps 137)

Antiphon: Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

RESPONSE: Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

Lector: I thank you, Lord, with all my heart, you have heard the words of my mouth. Before the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple. R.

Lector: I thank you for your faithfulness and love which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul. R.

Lector: The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly and the haughty he knows from afar. Your love, O Lord, is eternal, discard not the work of your hands. R.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION  Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, the rock on which I will build my Church; the gates of hell will not hold out against it. Alleluia!

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (1) or (2) (or a hymn)
(1) The earth is replete with the fruits of your work, O Lord; you bring forth bread from the earth and wine to cheer the heart.

(2) Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, says the Lord, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Today’s Readings  Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20
Next Week (22nd Sunday of Year A)  Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 62; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27