Handing over keys is part of some ceremonies
for taking up a new appointment or responsibility. Lord Mayors of
some cities receive keys upon taking up office and some university
presidents receive keys during their installation. For example, the
president of Harvard is given two ceremonial silver keys, 6 inches
and 9 inches long on a large silver keyring. In the Gospel, Jesus
used the language of giving keys when, to use our expression, he
made Peter the first Pope:
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.
(Matt
16:19)
The apostles listening to the
conversation between Jesus and Peter knew the language of handing
over keys meant Peter was being given a new onerous responsibility
because handing over keys was something that used to happen in the
palace of the king of Jerusalem centuries before the apostles, as we
heard in our first reading today. Shebna was second-in-command to
the king of Jerusalem, probably something like a treasurer, but he
was corrupt and as we heard, God chose Eliakim instead for his
office and through Isaiah announced:
I will place the key of the House of
David on Eliakim’s shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open. (Isa 22:22)
At that time, the symbolic key of the
second-in-command or treasurer was so large that it really could be
put on the shoulder. We can see the parallel between the first
reading and the Gospel: Eliakim received the duty of governance in
Jerusalem and Judea and Peter received the duty of governance in the
Church. At the time of Jesus, when a judge declared someone guilty
or innocent, the Jewish terminology described the judge as binding
or loosing the accused. On Easter Sunday evening, Jesus gave the
apostles the authority to forgive sins when he breathed the Holy
Spirit on them (John 20:21-23), and Jesus giving Peter the authority
to bind and loose can also be seen here as giving him the authority
to forgive sins.
When the newly elected Pope inaugurates his
pontificate (Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the
Bishop of Rome), keys are not handed over now, but some important
rituals take place. Just before the Mass for the inauguration of his
ministry as Pope, the new Pope prays at the tomb of St. Peter
beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. During the Mass, a cardinal places the
pallium on the
Pope’s shoulder. The pallium is a narrow strip of lamb’s wool that
goes around his neck over his shoulders and reminds him to be like
Jesus the Good Shepherd. The Pope also receives the Papal ring from
a cardinal, known as the Ring of the Fisherman, and a representative
group of cardinals, priests, and others pledge obedience and loyalty
to the Pope.
These rituals are deeply symbolic and show us
our understanding of the new Pope’s role. He prays at the tomb of
St. Peter beneath St. Peter’s basilica because he is a successor to
St. Peter. The pallium of lamb’s wool and the ring were left
overnight the previous night near St. Peter’s tomb and brought to
the altar at the beginning of the Mass. During the Mass, the Pope
receives the pallium of lamb’s wool to remind him and us that he is
to be a good shepherd caring for his flock, to carry weak sheep on
his shoulder. The pallium is held in place around the Pope’s neck
over his shoulders with three pins like crosses representing the
three nails that crucified Jesus—the two nails that crucified Jesus’
hands and the nail that crucified Jesus’ two feet together. The Pope
receives the ring reminding him and us of the dignity of his office.
The pallium, the pins, and the ring remaining overnight the previous
night at St. Peter’s tomb and being brought to the altar at the
beginning of the Mass remind us of the continuity from St. Peter to
the new Pope. We live in a time of rapid change, but we have an
unbroken link going back to St. Peter.
To assist us in this time of change, Pope Leo
XIV in his role as Good Shepherd, recently published his encyclical
Magnifica Humanitas on AI (May, 2026). He reminds us that
human intelligence is fundamentally different from artificial
intelligence. He warned against giving AI unrestricted power. “It is
necessary to establish adequate regulatory tools capable of
upholding justice and curbing the distorting effects of
technological power.” (§5)
I ask everyone to abandon the
construction of yet another Tower of Babel and to join forces in
building up the common good, so that humanity will never lose its
beauty, and the world once again will come to recognize the human
heart as the place where God desires to dwell. (§16)
The spirituality I wish to commend is
that of the “wise architect” who, driven by hope for the Kingdom of
God, is committed to building the world for the common good (cf.
1 Cor 3:10) . . . the task of building in our time must place
our relationship with God at its center. (§236)
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2026
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Twenty-First Sunday Year A
Spoiler alert! Evil will not prevail 2023
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church 2008
Jesus the Messiah different than expected
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God
Related Homilies: Peter grew to consider suffering for Jesus an honor
stories about the Pope