Jesus didn’t leave behind a movement, but his Church

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B 
First Reading: Jer 31:7-9 
Second Reading: Heb 5:1-6 
Gospel Reading: Mk 10:46-52 

“Every high priest chosen from among men is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf.... And one does not presume to take this honour, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

This passage aptly describes the office of Pope for, in personally choosing the first incumbent of that office, Peter, Jesus said, “I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

Moreover, Jesus said, “the jaws of death” would not prevail against his Church, meaning that Peter’s office would survive Peter. 

Accordingly, St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in 107 A.D., “We ought to receive everyone whom the master of the house sends to be over his household as we would do him who sent him.”

Christ founded not Christianity as many people conceive it, an idea, movement, philosophy, or vision that can be realized in various ways, but his Church.

From the beginning, it was a strict, disciplined society, maintaining exact doctrine, unbroken tradition, and absolute unity. Whenever errors surfaced about things pertaining to God, it corrected them. After that, anyone who continued to disagree was in schism, or no longer in communion with the Church.

Jesus singled Peter out by promising to build his Church on him (singular) as on a rock. He did it again by saying, “Satan has asked for you (plural) to sift you all like wheat. But I have prayed for you (singular) that your faith may never fail. You in turn must strengthen your brothers.” 

Jesus did it once more by asking, “Simon, son of John, do you (singular) love me?” Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” And Jesus replied, “Feed my lambs; feed my sheep.”

The Pope is a man. He may be weak, sinful, like the high priest in the second reading, ignorant, tactless, biased, prejudiced, or stupid. However, Jesus, who always knew what was in people’s hearts, must have taken all this into account.

Informed that Jesus would be killed, Peter demurred, and Jesus replied, “Get out of my sight, you satan! You are judging not by God’s standards but by man’s.” 

On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied even knowing him.

Jesus was aware, then, that he could not depend on Peter’s human understanding, loyalty, or courage. However, Jesus kept, has kept, and always will keep, his promises to build his Church on Peter and to send his Holy Spirit to guide it to all truth - even truth that his apostles could not yet bear.

That is why we trust the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.

If Satan tempts us, like he did Luther and the other Protestants, to think that we know better in matters of faith, morals, or Church discipline, how should we react?

First, we should read what the Pope and the Vatican have actually said (see vaticannews.va), not what the secular media make of it. Even when they try to report honestly, they often misunderstand things pertaining to God.

Second, we should make an act of faith, reasserting that we believe in the Holy Spirit and the holy Catholic Church.

Third, we should take the opportunity to deepen our understanding of supernatural truth with intense and patient reflection and a readiness to revise our own opinions, as St. John Paul II said.

We must be like the theologian that Pope Benedict XVI knew, who, after arguing passionately in 1950 against the dogma of Mary’s Assumption, concluded, “If the dogma comes, then I will remember that the Church is wiser than I and that I must trust her more than my own erudition.”

By our fallen human nature, we are often blind to things pertaining to God. However, God looks after the blind, as Jeremiah prophesied and Jesus demonstrated.

Father Hawkswell is again teaching “The Catholic Faith in Plain English,” with new insights, in both print and YouTube form, at beholdvancouver.org/catholic-faith-course. He is also teaching the course in person on Sundays (2 - 4 p.m. at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre, 4885 Saint John Paul II Way, 33rd Avenue and Willow Street, Vancouver) and Mondays (10 a.m. - noon in St. Anthony’s Church Hall, 2347 Inglewood Avenue, West Vancouver). The title of the presentation next week is The Light of Faith. The course is entirely free of charge and no pre-registration is necessary.

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