Today's Gospel in Art - You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church

Saint Peter, by Pieter Paul Rubens 1610 © Christian Art

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 22nd February 2021 - Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But you,' he said 'who do you say I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up, 'You are the Christ,' he said 'the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.'

Reflection on the Painting

We are all familiar with the keys of Saint Peter. Usually Saint Peter is depicting holding the keys. The coat-of-arms of the Holy See and Vatican City State, includes the crossed keys to represent the keys of the office of Saint Peter. Often one key is depicted in gold and the other silver. The first represents the power to bind and loose in heaven, the spiritual authority; the second represents the power to bind and loose on earth, the temporal authority. Through Jesus' words in today's Gospel, St. Peter and all his successors enjoy full and immediate authority to teach definitively on our faith and to shepherd us according to the mind and will of Christ.

Jesus gave St Peter the position of authority because he was trustworthy and faithful. But St Peter was also the man who would be denying Jesus three times. Jesus forgave him and kept St Peter to head His Church. Probably the reason why Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, was because Peter truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God. All of the other disciples genuinely loved Jesus, but at the time that Jesus handed Peter the keys, Peter had already moved from this deep love for his friend Jesus into true belief that Jesus was the Messiah. He already embodied love and faith for Christ.

In our painting by Peter Paul Rubens, we see Saint Peter holding both keys, representing the power of loosing and binding on earth (the silver key pointing downwards) and in heaven (the gold key pointing upwards). His eyes are particularly well painted, buming with faith and resolve looking up to heaven from where the light in our painting is emanating.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/725
Christian Art - www.christian.art/index.php