Crusading Canuk: It says in the Gospels, and evident from history if you’re familiar with the early days of the Church, that Christ founded His Church upon the Rock of St. Peter (St. Matthew 16:18); and that the Gates of Hell would never prevail over His Church.
You can read those words and say as you have said. But that is a classic and tragic misunderstanding of a larger truth embedded in the dialog. You can also read those words and see them in the actual context of the conversation, and when you do that, it takes on another meaning altogether. Jesus had just asked Simon who he thought Jesus was. Simon answered that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus answered that Peter had spoken the truth, and this truth is the rock upon which Jesus would build His church. And since Simon had been the one who had spoken that truth, he would be called Peter (Rock). So, He was not building a church upon a man whose transient form develops and dissipates in the fabric of space and time, but upon an intrinsic truth that transcends the world of form. Then He gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, which is of course not a set of keys to carry so that Peter could act as a cosmic gate attendant to a place that doesn’t exist. This is because heaven is a state of being, not a club. Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is not here or there, but inside you and all around you. So, the keys that Jesus gave Peter were the secrets to awakening the Kingdom of Heaven within oneself. So, further along in the dialog, Jesus gives Peter the key to unfolding the Kingdom of Heaven that is within you. That truth is that whatever you find yourself unable to let go of in this world will bind you to the realm of birth and death, because anyone who covets this thing or that or remains attached to the things of this world and cannot be free from the suffering that attends it. Why? Because attachment is the root of all suffering and the main prerequisite for loss. Therefore, whatever you “looseth” on earth (free yourself from), you will be free from in the Kingdom of Heaven, and at this point we are able to experience it. Then Jesus tells the disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Messiah. Why? Because you have to save yourself by doing what He said. Jesus is the object and the finger that points at the object. To truly see where He points will lead you to Him, but YOU must do the work, and to do that, first you must see where the finger points.
So, now that we have a grasp of the meaning, let’s look at the passage again, but this time in it’s entirety and in it’s full conext:
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of 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.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”
Simple, right? No curly Gates, no fat little cherubs from the ceiling at Versailles, no old man with a set of keys. It is only us, and the realization of the infinite love and freedom that can be unlocked within ourselves. This is why Jesus said His Father’s House has many mansions. The mansions are hearts of those who make a place for Him to dwell in.
He gave teaching authority to His Apostles and their successors (St. Matthew 28:19); if one is familiar with the early days of Christianity, this refers to the Catholic Church and the clergy. The only doctrine truly consistent with Christ’s teaching, is that set down by the successors of the Apostles.
I would say that it is consistent with a duller understanding of something profound.
n regards to whether or not being a heretic makes you wrong; it does. In the Gospel of St, Luke, Our Lord said; “He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.” (10:16) By rejecting the teaching of Holy Mother Church, you reject the authority of the Church to make decisions on faith and morals. In turn you thus reject Christ who gave His Church said authority, and the entire Trinity!
I have explained how what you call the Mother Church is just an organization. The church is
you. That is why
you should be about your Father’s business and not prancing around with your crusader gear proclaiming who is a heretic and who is not. You father’s business is about seeing Him within you and in those around you, because that is the only place you will ever find Him.
In any case, why do you commune at a Catholic Church? You don’t believe as Catholics do, and you’re not in Communion with the Church. Especially considering that it is illegal to do so (as it is sacrilege) in the Catholic Church.
Every place where two or more gather in the name of God is sacred, and He is present among them. Why should I shun any place where that happens, whether it be a Catholic church, a synagogue, and Hindu temple or a mosque? The one who sees divisions among these will see only divisions, and will not see God.
Your friend
Sufjon
