Matthew 16:13-20
"Unsinkable Ship"
by Rev. Richard A. Miserendino
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington Catholic Herald"

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Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.

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."  Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

Recently, engineers have developed a type of boat that will always right itself if capsized.  No matter how thunderous the waves may pound the ship, how deep it might be submerged, or how topsy-turvy it might find itself, it always comes bobbing back to the surface, right side up.  The test videos make a fascinating YouTube deep-dive diversion.  These ships are ideally suited for rescue missions in dangerous conditions.  The waves of the deep simply cannot prevail over them.

They also provide a handy image for the church as discussed in the Gospel today (Mt 16:13-20).  We hear the famous "Who do you say that I am?"  dialogue between Jesus and the apostles.  We rejoice as Peter gives faithful voice to the answer of our hearts.  Then, we marvel as Christ bestows a blessing, imparts authority, and entrusts a promise to Peter as the first pope: "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."

That last part is striking and heartening, especially amid the chaos of our day and age.  We really are promised, by the same authoritative word and power of God that wrought the stars in their height and the sea in its depth, that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.  Ever.  In other words, we believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit, the church will never reach error in faith and morals and will never be wiped out or destroyed in her entirety.  God will always triumph over evil and truth over falsehood in the end, and the church is set up to be the authoritative witness to that truth and goodness through the ministry of St. Peter and the apostles.

Put another way, in this passage Christ engineers the church to be like a self-righting ship.  No matter how large the waves the world might send our way. we can always count on the church, in union with the pope, to ride out the surf and the storm.  The analogy also helps us to see what this does and doesn't mean.

For instance, the crew of one of these ships can be confident that, as long as they keep the hatches sealed, they will never sink or remain upside down for long.  They trust in the competence of the engineers and we trust in the authority of Christ.  After all, Christ himself has been submerged beneath the waves of sin and death and has risen to the surface victorious.  His words and deeds give us hope.

Likewise, if we remain in Christ, if we remain in union with Peter and his successors and keep the hatches of our lives tight-shut against sin, Christ's promise applies even to us as well.  Though we might find ourselves tossed around by the world, tugged about by cultural tides or even submerged in what seems like certain death, we will re-emerge triumphant in the end.  The church is full of saints and martyrs who attest to this.

Yet, the example also does not mean they will always have a comfortable ride.  At times, being in a self-righting ship must be like a carnival ride, disorienting and even terrifying,  Being a faithful Catholic inside the church is often similar.  At some times we might even feel seasick.  So often, we can look at the state of the church and the world and get discouraged or be afraid.  But our faith in Christ's promise conquers our fears and dispels our doubts.

Likewise, we recognize that we're on a mission.  Self-righting ships are ideal for rescue missions through dangerous waters.  So too is the church ideally suited to save souls lost at sea.  Enduring a bit of turbulence is worth it if we keep things in perspective and save a life for eternity.  The question for each of us is: Do we trust Christ in his authority and his promise, especially here?  Is our perspective one of supernatural trust, that no matter how much the sea may rage, Christ will keep us afloat in the grace of the resurrection?