The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY (Mt 16,13-19)

Thus St. Paul speaks of the Church, writing to Timothy: “I am writing you about these matters, although I hope to visit you soon. But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth. Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory” (1Tm 3,14-16). The truth of the Church is Christ Jesus and the mission of the Church is to form the body of Christ Jesus in history. But which church is the pillar and support of the truth? Here is this church according to St. Paul: “I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. The Church that is the support and pillar of truth is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, because it is in this Church that the fullness of grace and truth subsists. All other churches lack the fullness of grace or truth.

This one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church lives unity in the communion of the many charismas and of the many missions given by the Holy Spirit: “But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it says: “He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.” What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower (regions) of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love” (Cf. Eph 4,1-16). The powers of the underworld will never prevail against this Church, because in it the Holy Spirit acts and always intervenes through mysterious ways and brings back the boat guided by Peter into the waters of truth and grace and of full obedience to the Gospel.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

There have always been moments of great turbulence, storm and tempest for this Church. There will always be some of these moments. Today is one of these moments. The storm of falsehood, indifferentism, reduction of the supernatural and transcendence to pure natural and immanence, of immorality and idolatry, of the complete abandonment of Christ Jesus and of grace to deliver the personal life to sin and the denial of the Gospel, seems to want to conquer all hearts. But even this storm is allowed by the Lord in order to prove the hearts of his faithful. Whoever lets himself be carried away by the storm does not love God, does not love Christ, does not love the Holy Spirit, does not love the Gospel, does not love the truth and does not love grace. He has left the path to heaven.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints arrange that the Christians repent and return to Christ Jesus.