Matthew 20:28
“And
so I say to you, you are Peter… I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.”
March 1997 – I received the key to my
first-ever car. I was very excited. First stop, Tagaytay!
September 2004 – I received the key to our
first house, our very own dwelling place.
We are very happy. This is where
we will build on our dreams, our family and our future.
I wonder how Peter reacted when the Lord
gave him, not just a key to a house or a key to a carriage. Rather, he was given the key to heaven that
“Whatever (he) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever (he) loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” He
must be struck by awe, thinking what Jesus means by that. He must have stood there for some time,
trying to understand what’s the real meaning of this Key to heaven.
But he would understand it as the time goes
by. That Christ’s passion, death and
resurrection is the key to heaven, not just for His disciples, but for all of
us. While it is true that Christ did
confer authority on Peter, it is also true that this authority was not unique
to Peter, nor was it supreme over the other apostles and the entire church. The
power of the keys was granted to the whole church to be exercised in the
forgiveness of sins. The apostle Peter was the first to open the way of
salvation by the preaching of the gospel, first to the Jews at Pentecost and
later on to the Gentiles.
We are given the Key to Heaven, through St.
Peter. As committed Christians, we
should proudly hang the Key around our necks for the world to see. Be more aware of our commitment and therefore
less likely to put down the key.
If you die today, is the Key with you to
unlock Heaven’s gate?
Lord Jesus, You have given us the Key to
Heaven through our first pope, St. Peter.
May we always have this key with us and forever keep it in our hearts so
upon reaching Heaven, we would be able to enter and join You forever in God’s
eternal glory and love.
The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
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