Posted on 02/22/2006 7:19:36 AM PST by Salvation
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Reading I
1 Pt 5:1-4
Beloved:
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Gospel
Mt 16:13-19
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
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.”
There is so much desire to explain these verses away. For the record, I would like to comment on the linguistic aspect of verse 18.
This is the literal word-by-word for the Latin:
tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam
you are Peter and on this rock I-shall-build church my
To see the Greek original, go to
http://unbound.biola.edu/
, and select Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) as the first version and any English translation for the second version. Select Matthew as book and chapter 16 verse 18. Leave other controls as by default. You will see the Greek original and the translation in a separate window. The Greek will be in Greek letters, but this is, roughly, what they would be transliterated into English alphabet letter-by-letter:
kago de soi lego oti su es petros kai epi taute te petra oikonomeso mou ten ekklesian kai pulai adou ou katischusousin autes
and-I to you say that you are Petros and upon this the rock I-shall-build my the church and doors of-hell not prevail against-her
Greek words have "gender". Words ending in "os" are masculine. Words ending in "a" are feminine (they also inflect, and there are other endings beside these two, but these two are sufficient for our purpose here). "Petra" is "rock"; it is a feminine noun. Accordingly, "taute" and "te" are feminine prepositions that together mean "this [feminine thing]". "epi taute te petra" means "upon this rock", straight up, -- no wordplay.
Then there is this word, "petros". It is a masculine form of "petra". You can take any Greek word ending in "-a", and make up a similar masculine word out of it replacing "-a" with "-os". We can't do so in English because we don't have gender for inanimate nouns. We have a similar effect with some names, e.g. "Brenda" and "Brendan". But in Greek we can do so systematically. Usually, if we take a regular Greek feminine word and form a masculine counterpart, we get a non-word. "Petros" is a non-word. It suggests "petra" but is wrong, masculine, gender. How can we use such non-word? We can give a man a nickname. The nickname, e.g. Petros, will follow the proper grammar for men, but will still suggest "petra", -- Rock.
There is no record of the proper name Petros used prior to the spread of Christianity. It might have been a rarely used name, or it might have been a non-word till Christ invented it. In any event, there is nothing in the text to indicate any desire on the part of Christ to make Peter a "stone" (the word for that would be "lithos") or a "pebble". There is nothing that suggests pointing away from Peter at some rock far off.
It is possible that the actual words were uttered in Aramaic, and indeed Peter is called Cephas, Aramaic for Rock, elsewhere. In this case the Greek word formation, "petros" is how Matthew rendered the renaming while making the Greek grammar still work.
Nor, of course, is there anything in the broader context to suggest irony on the part of Christ. Simon alone recognized Jesus as the messiah; Jesus indicates that Peter has a divine revelation about that, renames him (in the tradition of Old Testament patriarchs) and promises to Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He also explains that the "keys" will hold the power to legislate on earth in such way that Christ Himself will enforce these laws in heaven.
Excellent analysis. You explained it a lot better than many who attempt it do.
I agree.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 Meditation Psalm 23:1-6 The Lord is my shepherd. (Psalm 23:1) We may not often think of ourselves as sheep, but on this feast of the Chair of St. Peter, let’s take a moment to consider how we experience God caring for us as a shepherd—and how we are called to follow in his footsteps. As a church, after all, we are a kingdom of sheep and shepherds. Of course, we have Peter’s successor, the pope, and God uses him as a representative on earth to act as our chief human shepherd. When he faithfully fulfills his role, the holy father can be a great source of courage for us, especially when the church enters a time of darkness or is confronted by its enemy the devil. Like Christ, the pope can be a figure of stability in changing times, showing us the way to heaven. But can we experience God’s care for us in other ways? How about in our churches? We can experience the green pastures of a vibrant parish community where, like well-protected sheep, we can grow in love for Jesus and learn how to serve others. We can find refreshment through celebrations and life of worship that we share with the flock of our church family. In our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can forge relationships that will call forth self-giving, shepherd-like love from us. Even in our family life, surrounded by examples of sacrificial love, we can experience our cup running over. There is something very powerful about the way God’s blessings come to us through the church. It’s not magic, but it is spectacular. It doesn’t come automatically just because we attend Mass, but it does flow every time we imitate the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. It is this self-giving—this act of placing the needs of others first—that sets the church apart. When we care for one another in this way—and when we receive this care as well—we experience the voice of Jesus our shepherd leading us along right paths. So let’s embrace our roles as sheep and as shepherds, so that we can come to know the joy and security that this psalmist described. “Lord, teach me the ways I receive your blessings as a member of your flock. I celebrate all the ways you care for me as my shepherd!” 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19 |
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O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 115 (116B) |
|---|
| Thanksgiving in the Temple |
| Still I trusted, even when I said “I am greatly afflicted”, when I said in my terror, “all men are liars”. How shall I repay the Lord for all he has done for me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord before all his people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful. O Lord, I am your servant, your maidservant’s son. You have torn apart my chains: I will make you a sacrifice of praise, I will call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord before all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, within your walls, Jerusalem. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 125 (126) |
|---|
| Gladness and hope in the Lord |
| When the Lord gave Sion back her captives, we became like dreamers. Our mouths were filled with gladness and our voices cried in exultation. Among the Gentiles they were saying, “By his deeds the Lord has shown himself great”. The Lord’s deeds showed forth his greatness, and filled us with rejoicing. Give us back our captives, O Lord, as you renew the dry streams in the desolate South. Those who sow in tears will rejoice at the harvest. They wept as they went, went with seed for the sowing; but with joy they will come, come bearing the sheaves. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Ephesians 1 |
|---|---|
| God the Saviour | |
| Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven. In love, he chose us before the creation of the world, to be holy and spotless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ, simply because it pleased him to do so. This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace, of his free gift of us to his Beloved, in whose blood we have gained redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins. This he did according to the riches of his grace, which he gave us in abundance, with all wisdom and discernment, revealing to us the mysteries of his will, because it pleased him to do so. In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time, to bring all things together in Christ, from the heavens and from the earth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Magnificat |
|---|---|
| My soul rejoices in the Lord | |
| My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour – me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed, because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength: he has scattered the proud and conceited, torn princes from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
Thank you for the ping Salvation.My favorite thread bump.
Hope you had a wonderful day!
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So good but I am looking for a good co-host on Wednesday.I ask prayers for this for all who read-important:)
I hope you find a cohost. What about Coleus?
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
| This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited. |
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 30 (31) |
|---|
| Trustful prayer in time of adversity |
| O God, protect me; be my refuge. Alleluia. |
| In you, Lord, I put my trust: may I never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, Turn your ear to me, make haste to rescue me. Be my rampart, my fortification; keep me safe. For you are my strength and my refuge: you will lead me out to the pastures, for your own name’s sake. You will lead me out of the trap that they laid for me – for you are my strength. Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| O God, protect me; be my refuge. Alleluia. |
| Psalm 129 (130) |
|---|
| Out of the depths |
| Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord. Alleluia. |
| Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears listen out for the voice of my pleading. If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord – Lord, who would be left? But with you is forgiveness, and for this we revere you. I rely on you, Lord, my spirit relies on your promise; my soul hopes in the Lord, more than the watchman for daybreak. More than the watchman for daybreak, let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is kindness and abundant redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all its transgressions. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord. Alleluia. |
| Reading | Ephesians 4:26-27 |
|---|---|
| Be angry if you must, but do not sin: do not let your anger outlast the sunset: do not give the Devil his chance. | |
| Short Responsory | ? |
|---|---|
| Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. - Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness. - Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. - Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. |
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| Canticle | Nunc Dimittis |
|---|---|
| Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace. Alleluia. | |
| Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace. You have fulfilled your promise. My own eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples. A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness; the glory of your people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace. Alleluia. | |
| Prayer | |
|---|---|
| Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, you lay a gentle yoke upon those who follow you. Meek and humble, you give them a light burden to carry. Receive the work and the prayers we have offered to you today; and give us rest, to make us more eager to serve you, who live and reign for ever and ever, Amen. |
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| May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. |
| A M E N |
I might already be working with him and don't know.I work with priest's for life and don't know cover names here but your right and we are close heart wise.
Bump for inspirational artwork.
A note of levity: fish fries start next week with Ash Wednesday! Yum, yum!
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