We continue our journey through the heart of Matthew’s Gospel and move into a theme that’s very prominent in the teaching of Jesus: the cost of following Jesus Christ and the mystery of serving, suffering and The Cross. So, the Gospel this week is Matthew 16:21- 27. What does this lead up to? Well, the Last Judgment parable in Matthew, Chapter 25.

“For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man according to what he has done.”

As we mark Labor Day this year, yes, there is much work to be done.

Simon Peter said in reply: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” “The Keys of Peter Sunday” should be the name of this Sunday. It marks the handing over of the keys to the kingdom of heaven, which represent Authority in the Church and the Kingdom.

I would like to think that when we reach the gates of heaven, we will meet St. Peter, and he will have some questions for us. They won’t be difficult or trick questions. However, they will evaluate us on whether we have lived our faith while in this world. In other words, St. Peter will want to know if we were listening and attentive, and if we learned anything about the Kingdom of Heaven.

“O Woman, great is your faith.”

A little teaching first: the Hypostatic Union is a theological term used with the Incarnation to explain the revealed truth that Christ’s one divine person subsists in two natures. Simply stated, this means that in the Person of Jesus there are two natures: divinity and humanity, and they are in complete unity without any mixture, change, division or separation, as the great Council of Chalcedon stated. So, Jesus Christ is both God and Man. This is a great mystery; hypostasis (upostasis) means, literally, that which lies beneath as the basis or foundation.

The last time I was at the Sea of Galilee, on top the mountain of the Beatitudes overlooking Tabgha, the place where Jesus miraculously fed the Five Thousand, we watched as a big storm brewed up from the south side of the Jordan River valley and was headed north and right toward us. Our tour guide was already on the phone to the boat operator to cancel our Holy Hour on the Sea scheduled for later that night. The weather forecast was talking in terms of a ‘hurricane’ blowing in from the Mediterranean Sea, then making landfall and then heading north as it so often does. All of the pilgrim and pleasure trips scheduled on the lake later that evening were cancelled.

This great Feast of The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of my favorite feasts. The Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit all together in one place, just as they were at the Baptism of the Lord. The relatively new Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, like “The Chosen” television episodes, have given much attention to the life and ministry of Christ. The first time I visited the Holy Land in 2014, the place I wanted to visit the most was Mount Tabor, the mountain of the Transfiguration.

How time flies! It’s six months already since Bishop John Dolan asked me to act as Interim Parochial Administrator of our beautiful Parish family. When Msgr. Bui called to break the news tome, it hit like a thunderbolt. Much as I was worried about my lack of experience of the workings of the Church in America, I was sure I had the most loving and caring Parishioners who would help me to navigate and hold the fort. And truly, these six months have been the most intensive of my life. It has been my privilege to serve as your Interim Parochial Administrator.