master key
"I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open." —Isaiah 22:22
The Lord gave Eliakim the key to open things so that they could never be shut and to shut things so that they could not be opened. Eliakim had the authority to open the most closed hearts to the Lord's love. He could shut up the demons of abortion, and they would never be unbound. Because of this awesome authority, Eliakim was like "a peg in a sure spot" (Is 22:23). You could hang your future, marriage, family, work, and hopes on Eliakim's authority and they would not fall down.
Jesus, the Son of David, received Eliakim's key of the House of David (Is 22:22). Jesus is "the holy One, the True, Who wields David's key, Who opens and no one can close, Who closes and no one can open" (Rv 3:7). Jesus has "full authority" in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18). He even holds "the keys of death and the nether world" (Rv 1:18). Moreover, Jesus entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to His body, the Church, and particularly to Peter and his successors, the popes (Mt 16:18-19). Therefore, to hang our lives on "a peg in a sure spot," we must give our lives to Jesus, "the Messiah" and "the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16), and then live in submission to the Church and the Pope. Under this authority, we will live in victory and security.
Prayer: Father, may I discipline myself to study the Pope's teachings.
Promise: "How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!" —Rm 11:33
Praise: Praise Jesus, risen with full authority over death! Praise Jesus, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father!
Reference: (Order for yourself, your prayer group, or your parish, John Paul Speaks, our monthly set of quotations from the Pope, which is suitable for use as a bulletin insert.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, February 22, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 24, 1999