'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."
REFLECTION
Only God forgives sins. Jesus the Son of God has the divine authority to forgive sins. Because of His divine authority, He gives this power to men to exercise this divine power in His name. The Church is the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that He acquired for us at the price of His blood. (1)
In giving His apostles His power to forgive sins, the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ. The solemn words of Jesus: '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." Bind and loose means whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into His. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God. (1)
In today's encounter, Jesus is recognized by Peter as being the Messiah, the Christ. It seems finally the apostles see the Light of Jesus. It takes us a while to appreciate the true worth of someone, be it by their words or by their actions. Be patient with ourselves and with others. Pray as St. Monica did for her beloved prodigal son. For seventeen years she prayed for St. Augustine to recognize the Truth.
Pray for the apostolic ministry of our priests. They have so much responsibility and authority. PAPA prays for all priests that they, by the grace bestowed on them through the imposition of the Bishop's hands, be true to their vocation. And we should also pray for ourselves that we will be committed to this very important apostolate. Please join in praying the PAPA Prayer for Priests.
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