SALFORD DIOCESE OFFICE FOR LITURGY

You are Peter, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

There is a very simple theme to this Sunday’s readings: it is the principle of authority in the community of the Church: we are introduced to the idea that God gives authority to someone in the first reading, where Shebna is dismissed by God and replaced. This is a prelude to the Gospel story of Peter being given authority: not because he is powerful or wise in the world’s sense, but because he was able to profess his faith in the one sent by the Father. This is the principle of all authority in the Church: it is to spring only from God and our faith in God, professed by our way of life and rooted only in Christ, for ‘to him all authority, in heaven and on earth, has been given.’

First Reading: Isaiah 22:19-23.

Shebna’s job was steward or master of the palace, a position of great authority. he had, however, abused this authority, and so is to be replaced with Eliakim, who will act with justice and integrity. To understand how to read this, look at the Gospel and see the parallels between the two ‘appointments’ - especially the reference to keys, and the lines ‘should he open, no one shall close’, and ‘whatever you loose on earth...’. The tone of the reading is quite stern and formal: it might be effective if (without going over the top) you read in a rather formal manner - as an official delivering an edict. You might want to imagine how Isaiah delivered the message in the Palace around the year 700 B.C.  Be careful with uncommon words like ‘robe’ and ‘sash’ - as a general rule, the less common a word is, the easier it is for the listeners to miss it.

Second Reading: Romans 11:33-36.

Paul, after the passionate outbursts of the last two weeks, seems to end this section of the letter by pouring out everything in an exultant hymn of praise today. In a sense, there is no great ‘meaning’ to be unearthed in this reading - it is simply praise of God, such as we find in the Psalms. It is almost poetic. So read it without worrying: simply enter Paul’s mind and heart. He is so filled with the love and knowledge of God that it overflows from his pen uncontrollably! Underline the three phrases at the beginning: ‘How rich...how deep...how impossible’ Allow the questions to resonate in the minds of your listeners, and end (as Paul does) with the triumphant glorification of God and the Amen.

 Click on the link to get this week's Gospel based Wordsearch. Feel free to copy and paste it into your parish publications.