August 27th, 2023 - Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Keys are a powerful symbol of authority and responsibility.  The readings for today are all about the Lord bestowing a ring of keys on those he has chosen to lead his beloved People.  My friends, in a sense we are all given a set of keys at our baptism. We all have the authority to bear witness to Christ and the responsibility to draw others to Christ by the conduct of our lives. When we excel in kindness and exude selfless love, our keys are opening spiritual doors for others. When we are known to keep our word and come to the assistance of those in need, our keys provide others with access to the grace of Christ.  Christ has given all of us a unique ring of keys. This ring is ours to use in our lives as he has taught us.

So may the word of God we’ve heard and the holy communion we share in the Eucharist help us accept our Christian authority, according to our vocation and state-in-life, and put it to good use for the Lord and his Church.