08/26/2026
As technology continues to move forward, we are gaining a lot but we are also losing certain things: human interaction, for instance. Many people would rather communicate by way of their devices; texting, posting and so on, rather than actually talking to one another face to face.
And we’re losing things, as well. When was the last time you put together a photo album, let alone actually had a picture developed? Or wrote someone a handwritten letter or note?
A number of years ago I went to the museum at Bethel Woods. One of the exhibits showed different rooms in a house as they would have been in 1970 including a teenage boy’s and girl’s room as well as a living room which had in it a copy of the World Book Encyclopedia. No more use for those.
I still use a pocket appointment book as well as an actual address book, with phone numbers included. And a dictionary, though I haven’t used a telephone book in a very long time. And I still write out my checks by hand and actually mail them at the post office.
Another thing that seems to be slowly disappearing from existence are keys. No more keys when you stay at a hotel. Now it’s a card. And cars. You get the fob and push a button. A while back, a woman I know told her daughter to go and get something from the car. The girl came back empty handed because the “clicker thing” wouldn’t open the car and this kid had no idea that you could actually put the key into the slot in the door to open it up because she had never seen anyone do that before.
There’s now fingerprint and eye recognition devices out there. Keys will go the way of Blockbuster Video and playing solitaire with real cards.
But I think that Keys are important. Even if we don’t need them as much now and maybe won’t need them at all in the future, they are symbolic of some very important things.
Like freedom, just ask anyone who is in prison; or a kid who wants to borrow the car from their parents. Keys also represent a sign of respect and honor, like when someone is presented the key to the city.
And, among other things, keys represent authority. Keys are a part of two of our readings today. In each, they are being figuratively handed over to someone.
In Isaiah, we see that Shebna, a public official, is disgraced because he made an alliance with one country against another and it failed. The real failure was that he didn’t put his trust in God. So, the trust and honor previously bestowed on him will now be taken away and the “key” to the House of David will be placed on Eliakim’s shoulders. It is believed that Eliakim will trust in the Lord, as he should. The word “key” here means that he will have the authority to control who has access to the king.
In the Gospel we see the more familiar Biblical passing on of keys from Jesus to Peter. Jesus says to Simon, as he was then called, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of 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.”
In some sense, Jesus is giving Peter the same kind of role that Eliakim had been given in the first reading. I say in some sense because there are obviously great differences, as well. Peter will not just control who will be able to get in to see an earthly king, he is given the authority to control (in a sense) to determine who will get in to see THE KING. Not that Peter is going to be sitting outside the pearly gates like the bouncer at a popular night club, letting people in or not, based on the way they are dressed or their importance or if you slip him a hundred bucks.
Peter is being given the authority here to speak for God. Why? Because the Church that Jesus wants to establish is a visible Church, as well as being a spiritual one. He wants it to be tangible, in some ways, so He needs people to guide it, who will act under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has chosen His leaders, the Apostles and now He chooses Peter to be the one who will have the final say, the full authority. Why? Because somebody has to. As in all things there has to be someone in charge. Someone has to fill that leadership role. Why Peter? Because he is the best and the smartest and the strongest? No! Because he is the one God wanted, as were each of his successors right down to Pope Leo. Does that mean that each of them were perfect men? Not at all. But they were chosen and they served though, not always to the best of their ability. When some did falter and even fail, at times, it was because they stopped trusting in God, they stopped following the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit and did it their own way, instead.
Parents don’t just hand the car keys (or the fob) over to their kids and say, “go out and have a good time.” First, they make sure that they know how to drive. The kids have to study and then get their permit. Then they practice and maybe take a Driver’s Ed class. Then they take their road test to see if they learned what they should have.
Jesus had Peter and the others on a three-year Driver’s Ed program. He taught them and showed them and talked to them, over and over and over again. Today we see part of Peter’s test. Jesus asks, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Some of those there respond with different answers: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah. Then Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter steps up and answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Good answer. Before Jesus gives Peter the keys He has to be sure that Peter is ready. And although he is going to have some rough driving ahead of him, and a few accidents along the way, as well, Peter does pass. And the keys will be forthcoming soon enough.
Two things for us to think about today.
First, it’s important that we understand the significance of what happens in today’s Gospel. This isn’t just about Peter becoming the first pope. He is representative of the whole Church. It is not Peter or any of his successors that grant access to God, to the Kingdom. It is really the Church, itself, by giving us the direction, by showing us the way. We are called to live and follow the mandates that have been handed down and lead the way for us.
In this day of people picking and choosing what they want and don’t want to believe and accept in our Faith, we have to realize that most things are not up for grabs. The teachings are there for a reason. They weren’t just decided by a few guys over a couple of beers one night. They came to be through continued growth in understanding Scripture, through Revelation, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
To say that I’m Catholic and pro-choice when it comes to issues like abortion really is a contradiction. To carry the name Catholic and not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist doesn’t make sense. To water down the teachings of the Church to fit what is easier or more convenient for me only makes things harder in the long run. You can’t alter a key and then expect it to work.
Jesus gives to Peter and the Church the authority to speak in His Name. If we disagree or don’t understand why the Church teaches something, rather than abandon those beliefs we have to do what we can to understand them.
The second question for us today is the one that Jesus posed to the crowd that day: “Who do you say that I am?” If the answer is that he is the Son of God, the Lord of Life, the Messiah and Christ, then we must believe that He is directing the Church as He wants it to go. Why? Because if He is ALL of those things, then of course He CAN do just that…and He will.
That is the key…and it’s one that we should never let fall away.
