Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Key to the City

When an important person visits a city, sometimes the mayor presents the key to the city as a sign of welcome; or a key may be presented to a citizen who has given outstanding service to the community. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives Simon both the keys to the kingdom of heaven and a new name, Peter. This is more than just a symbolic honor bestowed by a mayor. Jesus is actually giving both a blessing and a responsibility.
The blessing is that Peter recognized Jesus as the Son of God. It was a blessing because Peter did this, not by his own cleverness or the help of other disciples, but with faith, a gift from God the Father. Even today, people are blessed with this kind of faith. An atheist who has heard of Jesus but regards him as just another holy man may receive the faith to see that Jesus is the Son of God. A person who withdraws from others and only cares about himself may find the faith to see Jesus in those around him. A sick person may see that Jesus is with her in her suffering and begin to have hope. The faith that sees Jesus in others is the rock on which Jesus builds his church. It is also the “crown of righteousness” that St. Paul says belongs to all who long to see Jesus (2 Timothy 4:18).
The responsibility comes in the binding and loosing. One meaning of this is the power that Jesus gives his church to forgive sins. Jesus forgave many sinners, sometimes even before they asked. He knew they wanted forgiveness in their hearts, though they may not have dared to ask for it. He even forgave those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). So those who follow Jesus have that same obligation to forgive others. If we forgive those who hurt us, they may come to see God’s love in us and know that God forgives them, too. On the other hand, if we refuse to forgive, we might push someone away from seeking God’s forgiveness. That doesn’t mean we are responsible for how others react to us. But why pass up an opportunity to show God’s love by forgiving someone? All Christians pray in the Lord’s Prayer that we may be forgiven as we forgive others. Let us use the keys of the kingdom to open the doors of God’s love.
Tom Schmidt

Short Version

Sometimes a mayor presents the key to the city to a citizen who has given outstanding service to the community. When Jesus gives Simon the keys to the kingdom of heaven, it is more than just a symbolic honor bestowed by a mayor. Jesus is actually giving both a blessing and a responsibility.
The blessing is that Peter recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Even today, people are blessed with this kind of faith. An atheist who has heard of Jesus but regards him as just another holy man may receive the faith to see that Jesus is the Son of God. A sick person may see that Jesus is with her in her suffering and begin to have hope. The faith that sees Jesus in others is the rock on which Jesus builds his church.
The responsibility comes in the binding and loosing. One meaning of this is the power that Jesus gives his church to forgive sins. So those who follow Jesus have that same obligation to forgive others. If we forgive those who hurt us, they may come to see God’s love in us and know that God forgives them, too. So why pass up an opportunity to show God’s love by forgiving someone? All Christians pray in the Lord’s Prayer that we may be forgiven as we forgive others. Let us use the keys of the kingdom to open the doors of God’s love.
Tom Schmidt