The Keys to the Kingdom. Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

The key to understanding today’s liturgy is, precisely, the key. It is the image that links the first reading with the Gospel and opens us up to their deeper meaning. In our modern world, the traditional key may seem to be losing its importance. Physical keys are increasingly being replaced by digital credentials: phones, biometric scanners, facial recognition, and fingerprints. However, even as technology changes, the fundamental reality remains the same. Keys continue to grant access; they continue to open and close doors.

In the Gospel, we find the well-known scene of Peter’s confession of faith. After his reply that: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”, Jesus entrusts him with a mission: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven".

By handing the keys to Peter, Jesus entrusts him with the mission of leading people to Christ and opening the way to salvation for them. Peter not only receives the keys; he is also established as the rock upon which Christ will build his Church. These two images are closely linked. The rock signifies stability and firmness; the keys signify authority and service.

A similar scene appears in the first reading. Eliakim is entrusted with the key to David’s palace. He is given authority over the royal household: “It will open, and no one will close it; it will close, and no one will open it”. Like Peter, Eliaquín is also described as a steadfast supporter, “a stake in a safe place".

But what exactly do these keys tell us about Peter, the papacy, and the Church? A beautiful answer can be found in the Purgatory from Dante. In Canto IX, when Dante arrives at the gate of Purgatory, an angel opens the gate using two keys entrusted to Saint Peter: one of gold and one of silver. The golden key symbolizes the Church’s authority to forgive sins and bestow God’s mercy. The silver key symbolizes the wisdom, discernment, and understanding necessary to open the human heart. The golden key is the more precious of the two, but it cannot effectively fulfill its function without the silver key. The angel explains that the instruction received regarding the use of the keys is to open rather than to lock, provided that mercy is humbly sought.

This image beautifully expresses the Church’s mission. The keys are not given to keep people out, but to bring them in. They are instruments that grant access to Christ. The Church has received from Christ the mission to unlock the treasures of the Gospel, to proclaim the truth, and to lead all peoples to an encounter with Christ.