God wants the authority and power that He has given us to be used in service of all people
Several of the readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time mention that a key is a symbol of authority and power. The symbol of a key is somewhat lost with the large variety of keypads and electric locks that we have today, but we can still carry the image in our minds. Jesus speaks of handing Peter the key to the kingdom of God and designates him as the rock. In the Old Testament, God removes the key from one person who has misused his authority and hands it over to someone else to carry on that position. In matters of faith and discipleship, do we have the key and what are we doing with it?
If we’re not careful, we can fall into the kind of religious belief that leads us to a certainty of faith in our relationship with God. We can be practicing all the right faith traditions and rituals and still misuse the power and authority that the key of faith has given to each of us. How are we using that key of faith, and why has it been trusted to each of us?
Access to the kingdom of God is a gift given to us, not something that we have earned. God’s love, poured out upon us in immeasurable ways, has opened all kinds of possibilities of deeper, freer and more fruitful lives. Because we are given so many gifts through the gracious love of God, we can easily fall into possessiveness or arrogance. We begin to believe that the gifts we have are meant for us and are our personal possessions; we can do with them what we want because they’re ours. We can even get a little arrogant in our attitude toward other people, especially those who are living differently than us.
The authority that we have been given in life is meant for the service of all people. We are to use our key of faith to open the door of the kingdom of God to all that we meet, not just those we agree with. Look around and notice how opened or closed the doors of the kingdom of God are to those who encounter us. Do people experience the hospitality and openness of God by the way we treat them? Can our own actions show them that the kingdom of God is available to them? Where is our level of understanding, forgiveness, compassion, generosity and hospitality? How regularly do we make sure that we are interacting with those who are different than us? Do we see other people as equal and as children of God? Do we find ourselves drawn toward those who are rejected by others, or do we stay away from people like that out of fear? Each of us holds the key to unlocking hope and understanding for others surrounding us.
Some who are reading this column may judge themselves as unworthy of God’s love. My hope is that these words will remind us of the truth that sets us all free. No one is beyond hope. No one is not beyond forgiveness. No one is beyond love. In fact, imagine God looking for us and anticipating being with us. Imagine the image of a loving God who anxiously awaits us running into His arms and experiencing His unconditional love. My hope is that there is someone in our life who can be those open arms and forgiving heart for us. Have courage. God’s love is meant for each of us, and we are made for His love.
