21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Writing in 1959, Pope St John XXII wrote:I"As it is said of the short dialogue between the angel and Mary in the sacred silence of Nazareth, that sums up the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption of the world, thus the Tu es Christus filius Dei vivi [You are Christ Son of the living God] of Peter and the reply of Jesus, Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo [You are Peter and on this rock I will build] established the structure of the Catholic Church. In fact, by means of the divine Motherhood of Mary, the Word of God was made man and redemption and salvation occurred. With the act of faith in Christ, Son of the living God, the response of Tu es Petrus [You are Peter] of Jesus and with it the institution of the Church. Thus the salvation of the world is achieved." From this we can see that the dialogue between Jesus and Peter at Ceasarea Phillipi was not just a private conversation. It is constitutive of the Church. To this end it is impossible to imagine the Church without the Petrine office just as we cannot imagine the Incarnation without the cooperation of Our Lady.