They shall not prevail

Our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel (Mt. 16:13-20) are very familiar – especially for Catholics – and yet his words remain both astounding and powerful.

It is possibly no coincidence that the World Youth Day events are scheduled to culminate on the day this Gospel is read, as Pope Benedict XVI in a unique and dramatic way carries on the Petrine ministry that began with these words.

But there is also a dark hint in these words of power: a note of darkness barely softened by modern translations.

The gates of hell.

In speaking of his Church, our Lord says that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The "gates of hell" encompass all that is evil - all that is opposed to God - and we seem to see these gates everywhere in these days.

There are many forces in the world on the attack today: opposed to God, opposed to the Church, opposed to faithful Christian living, even opposed to the very notion of objective morality.

They shall not prevail.

There are also many things in our world that oppose God by pushing in their own selfish directions: in popular culture, in politics, in science, in our churches, and even within ourselves.

They shall not prevail.

It is sometimes easy to get discouraged. Every day, the world seems to get worse. Every day, selfish people denigrate holy things. Every day, temptations tug at us and sin seems to overwhelm us.

They shall not prevail.

Upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.