Today's Gospel with comment: February 22, 2020

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew 16,13-19.
At that time, having arrived in the region of Cesarèa di Filippo, he asked his disciples: «Who do people say that the Son of man is?».
They replied, "Some John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or some of the prophets."
He said to them, "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter replied: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
And Jesus: «Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because neither the flesh nor the blood has revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
And I say to you: You are Peter and on this stone I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and everything you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and everything you untie on earth will be melted in heaven. "
Liturgical translation of the Bible

San Leone Magno (? - ca 461)
pope and doctor of the Church

4th Speech on the anniversary of his election; PL 54, 14a, SC 200
"On this stone I will build my Church"
Nothing escaped the wisdom and power of Christ: the elements of nature were at his service, the spirits obeyed him, the angels served him. (...) Yet of all men, only Peter is chosen to be the first to call all people to salvation and to be the head of all the apostles and all the Fathers of the Church. In the people of God there are many priests and shepherds, but the true guide of all is Peter, under the supreme escort of Christ. (...)

To all the apostles the Lord asks what men think of him and they all give the same answer, which is the ambiguous expression of common human ignorance. But when the apostles are asked about their personal opinion, then the first to profess faith in the Lord is the one who is also first in apostolic dignity. He says: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", and Jesus replies: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because neither the flesh nor the blood has revealed it to you, but my Father who is in the heavens. " This means: you are blessed because my Father has taught you, and you have not been deceived by human opinions, but you have been instructed by a heavenly inspiration. My identity has not revealed to you the flesh and blood, but the one of whom I am the only begotten Son.

Jesus continues: "And I tell you": that is, as my Father revealed my divinity to you, so I manifest your dignity to you. "You are Pietro". That is: if I am the inviolable stone, "the cornerstone that made the two into one people" (Eph 2,20.14), the foundation that no one can replace (1 Cor 3,11:XNUMX), you are also stone, because the my strength makes you firm. So my personal prerogative is also communicated to you by participation. "And on this stone I will build my Church (...)". That is, on this solid foundation I want to build my eternal temple. My Church, destined to rise to heaven, will have to rest on the solidity of this faith.