Unlocking the Box
21st Sunday of the Ordinary Time – Unlocking the Box
Jack and Diane have become somewhat of a social media sensation as of late, all due to one thing: Jack’s singing.
Nearly every day now, he posts a short-clip video of him driving as he sings some pop hit from the past 40 years or so, songs they both listened to while dating and during their early years of marriage and raising children. The songs are usually lighthearted and fun, and Diane more often than not simply smiles and turns toward her husband as he sings to her. One day, it’s the Bee Gees. Another day, the Temptations. He clearly loves the moments spent in the car with her, and Diane isgenuinely happy.
Too bad she does not know who it is who’s serenading her. Diane, tragically, is in the throes of severe early-stage dementia, and Jack is loving her through it all.
“Who am I, sweetheart?” he often asks in between song lyrics. Mostly, Diane responds with a shrug of the shoulders and a light-hearted giggle. She doesn’t know.
Who do you say that I am?
There are many ways to answer that question. Jesus asks it, too, and for good reason: he’s been preaching and healing and pointing the way to His Father. He knows most who follow him only want the “wow factor;” they’re not interested in real relationship with him.
But his disciples — the 12 who have been with him and are slowly giving their hearts to him — Jesus wants to know where they stand. “I don’t care what the others are saying. Who am I to you in this very moment?” He asks that question of all of us.
Peter, of course, jumps right in — God bless him — with an answer. “You’re the Christ.”
In one way, it truly is inspired. Peter could have only come to that knowledge through grace, and grace alone. Had it not been so, he might have answered differently, more along the lines of what he wanted the definition of Christ to be: a Savior on Peter’s terms. A Savior that does Peter’s bidding.
But that’s not Christ. He became one of us, but it wasn’t so we could shape Jesus into our own making. It was so He could make our hearts like unto His.
And for this reason, he gave Peter keys — and what beautiful keys they are. Keys to holiness. Keys to mercy and forgiveness. Keys to bringing forth His Kingdom here on earth and dwelling in it in the life to come.
And the keys which he offered to Peter unlock the mystery and the beauty of the Bride which Christ calls the Church. Us. You and me on this journey together to the Father.
I am always overwhelmed when I stop to think about what a gift this Bride is for us, and how we make up, as living stones, the beauty that she is. Certainly, it is a flawed beauty at times – a beauty that has been marred by human scandal, schisms, decades of clergy abuse, lazy shepherds and half-hearted flocks. This Bride has been dragged through mud; persecuted and told to stay quiet; ignored and mocked. She has become the brunt of jokes and the favorite punching-bag for the political and Hollywood elite.
And yet, the Bride is still here – 2000 years later, she still remains present, loving and nurturing all who come to her, as a Mother does her children. She can be a mess – because we are a mess – and yet Christ poured out His very life on Calvary for her, for us.
But here’s the thing about those keys – just because the Bride may be somewhat marred and messy right now, that is not how she is to return to the Father. She must – we must – return holy and inviolate. Our Church must be made ready for her Bride. And so Peter received some mighty keys.
Now, I know our Protestant brothers and sisters don’t necessarily see it the same way we do, but those keys were handed-on to the Shepherd-leadership that Christ wanted for His Bride. In His Name, these pope-shepherds down through the centuries until the end of time become the very bridge that help us on the journey Home. Some have done so beautifully; others got lost along the way through corruption and sin. Nevertheless, she is God’s Church – His Bride – and He has promised that the keys He offers will forever keep the gates of hell from destroying her.
Thus, when the shepherds proclaim to us teachings on faith and morals that are meant to guide us to holy living and to become more Christ-like, they become a key used to unlock the door of our hearts to His.
When we are given the Sacraments – especially Baptism, Confession and Eucharist – as the way to be set-free from sin and selfishness, we have yet another key at our disposal.
When the Good News of Christ is proclaimed and taughtthrough the Bride, that key unlocks the truth of how we are to live in freedom, hope and authentic love.
And when the key of servant-leadership and charity offered to the least is turned, then we know the Bride is being made whole and holy.
So many powerful keys used to unlock the chains that bind us, and yet so very few taken advantage of the gift. It’s easier to complain, point fingers and find fault with the Bride and her shepherds than it is to really look at the keys being offered and use them to become part of assisting the Bride in her mission of making disciples and leading the world to holiness. Grace comes powerfully when we don’t keep the keys hidden in the recesses of a darkened drawer. Or as the founder of the Catholic Worker once offered – and it is a quote that often gives me pause – “If the Church is not the dominant force in the world today, it is only because we have taken the dynamite of the Catholic faith, wrapped it up in nice words and then collectively sat on the lid.” Wow!
When Peter was handed the keys of the Kingdom, Christ was entrusting His Spouse to him, his successors and to us. We have been given a gift that we must not seal-up and sit on. Where is the Spirit calling us now as a parish and as Church? How does the Bride need to engage the world around her now? What keys are we not using? Which ones are we choosing to ignore? And maybe, most especially in this present moment: are we willing to pray for Peter – that the weight of responsibility of key-carrying is always shaped by truth and love, especially at times when the Bride seems to be adrift and frightened and far from Shore?
All of which brings me back to Jack and Diane. It may not seem like much – driving around and singing some oldies to a woman who doesn’t even remember her husband, at least on the surface – but this act of selfless dedication to his vows says everything about the power of using the keys to unlock holiness. For better and for worse, Jack shows up. For better and for worse, he does not abandon his beloved bride. For better and for worse, he is loving her to the end and helping her on her journey home. He refuses to give up. He refuses to place his bride in a box and sit on the lid.
Instead, he sings love songs every day and makes her smile and laugh – just like the girl he fell in love with. He’s choosing love, not abandonment. He’s seeing who she is at her core, and staying with her in her cross. The key he holds is one of selfless love and a pouring out of his own life for her, and that may very well be the most beautiful love song of all.
Jesus asks all of us as Church, as members of His Bride: Who do you say I am?
May the way we live and use the keys He offers us show the world exactly who we say He is – the One willing to blow the lid of the dynamite box – even if that explosion moment comesin hidden, humble, day-in and day-out ways.
Sometimes it happens in a car. Singing love songs. Watching a smile flicker across a face that is often locked in fear and confusion. Saying out loud: “Sweetheart, I’ll never stop loving you.”
Even – and most especially — when the bride forgets.