It is 27th August 2017. We celebrate the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today is a landmark faith experience for 97 of our Catholics who are going to be Confirmed by His Grace Alex Thomas and 32 young ones are receiving the Lord first time. Today they will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. To be “Confirmed” means to be strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. May this day bring abundant blessings to all those who are going to experience the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus in the Eucharist and to be filled by the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Spirit of God. The readings are from Isaiah 22:19-23; the second reading is from Romans 11:33-36; and the Gospel from Matthew 16:13-20. We all wish to hold positions, higher responsibilities and powers in our lives. Some of us grab it by using the religion others by political and social means. Whatever the game we play to secure positions, we have to live with it. There are always precarious situations arise for those who choose themselves to be on the helm of affairs for their agenda and the schema to be achieved. Surprisingly God puts some of us into some positions and responsibilities to achieve God’s agenda for the humanity. That is exactly what we see in the first reading. God replaced the materialistic leader, a high court official. God replaces the leaders when they do their own things and promoting their personal agenda. God has replaced Shebna with Elaiakim saying, “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.” (Is.22:19-23). The responsorial Psalm praises, “Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Ps.138:8). In the second reading, we read the doxology that is that prayer of praise to God for the wisdom-filled plan of God for humanity. God governs us with wisdom, justice and love. We will never understand the mind of God in a given situation. There is no human who could offer a better suggestion to God or to criticize God’s ways. Even in a human crookery, God achieves God’s ways. God holds the absolute power and wisdom. At the end, we who are crazy to hold power and positions are mocked and ridiculed by the very fact of God’s wisdom and plan. In the Gospel, Jesus entrusts the keys of the kingdom, the Church to Peter, for his public declaration on Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:19). May our service remind the one in whom we place all our trusts. May you have a good day.