Posted on 02/22/2006 7:19:36 AM PST by Salvation
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.
Harry Potter and the Chair of Peter (Lead us not into temptation has meaning to Benedict XVI)
From: 1 Peter 5:1-4
To Priests
From: Matthew 16:13-19:
Peter's Profession of Faith and His Primacy
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 18 (19) |
|---|
| Praise of God the creator |
| The skies tell the story of the glory of God, the firmament proclaims the work of his hands; day pours out the news to day, night passes to night the knowledge. Not a speech, not a word, not a voice goes unheard. Their sound is spread throughout the earth, their message to all the corners of the world. At the ends of the earth he has set up a dwelling place for the sun. Like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, it rejoices like an athlete at the race to be run. It appears at the edge of the sky, runs its course to the sky’s furthest edge. Nothing can hide from its heat. 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 63 (64) |
|---|
| A prayer against enemies |
| Listen, O God, to my voice; keep me safe from fear of the enemy. Protect me from the alliances of the wicked, from the crowd of those who do evil. They have sharpened their tongues like swords, aimed poisonous words like arrows, to shoot at the innocent in secret. They will attack without warning, without fear, for they are firm in their evil purpose. They have set out to hide their snares – for they say, “Who will see us?” They have thought out plans to commit wicked deeds, and they carry out what they have planned. Truly the heart and soul of a man are bottomless depths. And God has shot them with his arrow: in a moment, they are wounded – their own tongues have brought them low. All who see them will shake their heads; all will behold them with fear and proclaim the workings of God and understand what he has done. The just will rejoice and hope in the Lord: the upright in heart will give him glory. 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 96 (97) |
|---|
| The glory of God in his judgements |
| The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice, let the many islands be glad. Clouds and dark mist surround him, his throne is founded on law and justice. Fire precedes him, burning up his enemies all around. His lightnings light up the globe; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains flow like wax at the sight of the Lord, at the sight of the Lord the earth dissolves. The heavens proclaim his justice and all peoples see his glory. Let them be dismayed, who worship carved things, who take pride in the images they make. All his angels, worship him. Sion heard and was glad, the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of your judgements, O Lord. For you are the Lord, the Most High over all the earth, far above all other gods. You who love the Lord, hate evil! The Lord protects the lives of his consecrated ones: he will free them from the hands of sinners. A light has arisen for the just, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord and proclaim his holiness. 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. |
| Reading | Acts 11:1 - 18 © |
|---|---|
| The apostles and the brothers in Judaea heard that the pagans too had accepted the word of God, and when Peter came up to Jerusalem the Jews criticised him and said, ‘So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them, have you?’ Peter in reply gave them the details point by point: ‘One day, when I was in the town of Jaffa,’ he began ‘I fell into a trance as I was praying and had a vision of something like a big sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners. This sheet reached the ground quite close to me. I watched it intently and saw all sorts of animals and wild beasts – everything possible that could walk, crawl or fly. Then I heard a voice that said to me, “Now, Peter; kill and eat!” But I answered: Certainly not, Lord; nothing profane or unclean has ever crossed my lips. And a second time the voice spoke from heaven, “What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane”. This was repeated three times, before the whole of it was drawn up to heaven again. Just at that moment, three men stopped outside the house where we were staying; they had been sent from Caesarea to fetch me, and the Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going back with them. The six brothers here came with me as well, and we entered the man’s house. He told us he had seen an angel standing in his house who said, “Send to Jaffa and fetch Simon known as Peter; he has a message for you that will save you and your entire household”. I had scarcely begun to speak when the Holy Spirit came down on them in the same way as it came on us at the beginning, and I remembered that the Lord had said, “John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit”. I realised then that God was giving them the identical thing he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and who was I to stand in God’s way?’ This account satisfied them, and they gave glory to God. ‘God’ they said ‘can evidently grant even the pagans the repentance that leads to life.’ |
|
| Reading | From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope |
|---|---|
| The Church of Christ rises on the firm foundation of Peter's faith | |
| Out of the whole world one man, Peter, is chosen to preside at the calling of all nations, and to be set over all the apostles and all the fathers of the Church. Though there are in God’s people many shepherds, Peter is thus appointed to rule in his own person those whom Christ also rules as the original ruler. Beloved, how great and wonderful is this sharing of his power that God in his goodness has given to this man. Whatever Christ has willed to be shared in common by Peter and the other leaders of the Church, it is only through Peter that he has given to others what he has not refused to bestow on them. The Lord now asks the apostles as a whole what men think of him. As long as they are recounting the uncertainty born of human ignorance, their reply is always the same. But when he presses the disciples to say what they think themselves, the first to confess his faith in the Lord is the one who is first in rank among the apostles. Peter says: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Jesus replies: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven”. You are blessed, he means, because my Father has taught you. You have not been deceived by earthly opinion, but have been enlightened by inspiration from heaven. It was not flesh and blood that pointed me out to you, but the one whose only-begotten Son I am. He continues: And I say to you. In other words, as my Father has revealed to you my godhead, so I in my turn make known to you your pre-eminence. You are Peter: though I am the inviolable rock, the cornerstone that makes both one, the foundation apart from which no one can lay any other, yet you also are a rock, for you are given solidity by my strength, so that which is my very own because of my power is common between us through your participation. And upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. On this strong foundation, he says, I will build an everlasting temple. The great height of my Church, which is to penetrate the heavens, shall rise on the firm foundation of this faith. The gates of hell shall not silence this confession of faith; the chains of death shall not bind it. Its words are the words of life. As they lift up to heaven those who profess them, so they send down to hell those who contradict them. Blessed Peter is therefore told: To you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth is also bound in heaven. Whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven. The authority vested in this power passed also to the other apostles, and the institution established by this decree has been continued in all the leaders of the Church. But it is not without good reason that what is bestowed on all is entrusted to one. For Peter received it separately in trust because he is the prototype set before all the rulers of the Church. |
|
| Canticle | Te Deum |
|---|---|
| God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you! You, the Father, the eternal – all the earth venerates you. All the angels, all the heavens, every power – The cherubim, the seraphim – unceasingly, they cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts: heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!” The glorious choir of Apostles – The noble ranks of prophets – The shining army of martyrs – all praise you. Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. – Father of immeasurable majesty, – True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, – Holy Spirit, our Advocate. You, Christ: – You are the king of glory. – You are the Father’s eternal Son. – You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb. – You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. – You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father. – You will come, so we believe, as our Judge. And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever. Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever. Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you. In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame. 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. |
|
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| Wednesday, February 22, 2006 The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast) |
||
|
Thanks!
|
|
 |
 |
|
February 22, 2006
Chair of Peter the Apostle
This feast commemorates Christ’s choosing Peter to sit in his place as the servant-authority of the whole Church (see June 29). After the “lost weekend” of pain, doubt and self-torment, Peter hears the Good News. Angels at the tomb say to Magdalene, “The Lord has risen! Go, tell his disciples and Peter.” John relates that when he and Peter ran to the tomb, the younger outraced the older, then waited for him. Peter entered, saw the wrappings on the ground, the headpiece rolled up in a place by itself. John saw and believed. But he adds a reminder: “..[T]hey did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9). They went home. There the slowly exploding, impossible idea became reality. Jesus appeared to them as they waited fearfully behind locked doors. “Peace be with you,” he said (John 20:21b), and they rejoiced. The Pentecost event completed Peter’s experience of the risen Christ. “...[T]hey were all filled with the holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4a) and began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them. Only then can Peter fulfill the task Jesus had given him: “... [O]nce you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). He at once becomes the spokesman for the Twelve about their experience of the Holy Spirit—before the civil authorities who wished to quash their preaching, before the council of Jerusalem, for the community in the problem of Ananias and Sapphira. He is the first to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. The healing power of Jesus in him is well attested: the raising of Tabitha from the dead, the cure of the crippled beggar. People carry the sick into the streets so that when Peter passed his shadow might fall on them. Even a saint experiences difficulty in Christian living. When Peter stopped eating with Gentile converts because he did not want to wound the sensibilities of Jewish Christians, Paul says, “...I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.... [T]hey were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel...” (Galatians 2:11b, 14a). At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus says to Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). What Jesus said indicated the sort of death by which Peter was to glorify God. On Vatican Hill, in Rome, during the reign of Nero, Peter did glorify his Lord with a martyr’s death, probably in the company of many Christians. Quote:
|
||||||
Welcome on this Wednesday!
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 62 (63) |
|---|
| Thirsting for God |
| O God, you are my God, I wait for you from the dawn. My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you. I came to your sanctuary, as one in a parched and waterless land, so that I could see your might and your glory. My lips will praise you, for your mercy is better than life itself. Thus I will bless you throughout my life, and raise my hands in prayer to your name; my soul will be filled as if by rich food, and my mouth will sing your praises and rejoice. I will remember you as I lie in bed, I will think of you in the morning, for you have been my helper, and I will take joy in the protection of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand raises me up. 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 | Daniel 3 |
|---|---|
| All creatures, bless the Lord | |
| Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, you heavens; all his angels, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens; all his powers, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, sun and moon; all stars of the sky, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, rain and dew; all you winds, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, fire and heat; cold and warmth, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, dew and frost; ice and cold, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, ice and snow; day and night, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, light and darkness; lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, all the earth, praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, mountains and hills; all growing things, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, seas and rivers; springs and fountains, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, whales and fish; birds of the air, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, wild beasts and tame; sons of men, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, O Israel, praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, his priests; all his servants, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, spirits of the just; all who are holy and humble, bless the Lord. Ananias, Azarias, Mishael, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him for ever. Let us bless Father, Son and Holy Spirit, praise and exalt them for ever. Bless the Lord in the firmament of heaven, praise and glorify him for ever. |
|
| Psalm 149 |
|---|
| The saints rejoice |
| Sing a new song to the Lord, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel rejoice in its maker, and the sons of Sion delight in their king. Let them praise his name with dancing, sing to him with timbrel and lyre, for the Lord’s favour is upon his people, and he will honour the humble with victory. Let the faithful celebrate his glory, rejoice even in their beds, the praise of God in their throats; and swords ready in their hands, to exact vengeance upon the nations, impose punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings in fetters and their nobles in manacles of iron, to carry out the sentence that has been passed: this is the glory prepared for all his faithful. 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. |
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
|---|---|
| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. 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. |
|
| 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 |
Recipes:
Activities:
Prayers:
|
 |
February 22, 2006    Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle
Chair of St. Peter Since early times, the Roman Church has had a special commemoration of the primatial authority of St. Peter. As witness one of the most renowned of the Apostolic Fathers, the Roman See has always held a peculiar place in the affection and obedience of orthodox believers because of its "presiding in love" and service over all the Churches of God. "We shall find in the Gospel that Jesus Christ, willing to begin the mystery of unity in His Church, among all His disciples chose twelve; but that, willing to consummate the mystery of unity in the same Church, among the twelve He chose one. He called His disciples, said the Gospel; here are all; and among them He chose twelve. Here is the first separation, and the Apostles chosen. And these are the names of the twelve Apostles: the first, Simon, who is called Peter. [Mt. 10, 1-2] Here, in a second separation, St. Peter is set at the head, and called for that reason by the name of Peter, "which Jesus Christ," says St. Mark, "had given him," in order to prepare, as you will see, the work which He was proposing to raise all His building on that stone.
"It was, then, clearly the design of Jesus Christ to put first in one alone, what afterwards He meant to put in several; but the sequence does not reverse the beginning, nor the first lose his place. That first word, Whatsoever you shall bind, said to one alone, has already ranged under his power each one of those to whom shall be said, Whatsoever you shall remit; for the promises of Jesus Christ, as well as His gift, are without repentance; and what is once given indefinitely and universally is irrevocable. Besides, that power given to several carries its restriction in its division, while power given to one alone, and over all, and without exception, carries with it plenitude, and, not having to be divided with any other, it has no bounds save those which its terms convey." Excerpted from The See of St. Peter, Jacques Bossuet. Things to Do:
|
|
Who Do You Say That I Am? The Chair of Saint Peter, apostle Matthew 16:13-19 Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know that you want to reveal yourself to me. How many times in my life have you gently guided me and enlightened me interiorly. I know too that you often choose to work through human instruments. Never are these two ways in conflict. Grant me the humility to see you guiding me through others, and especially through your Vicar on Earth. Petition: Lord, fill my heart with zeal for you. 1. What Do Others Have to Say About Jesus? When Christ asks us, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” he is actually asking, “Do people really know me?” In other words, “Have you helped them get to know me? Have you told them about me? Does it matter to you if they know me?” If we can sincerely answer these questions in the affirmative we are on the way to being his apostles. And it begs the question, “How well do I present him to others? Do I know him well enough to give him to others?” We can only transmit what we ourselves know and love. 2. Peter Answers. Peter is wonderfully clear, there is no hesitation. He shows that his time with Christ has allowed him to discover more in him than the people who only saw him in passing. “In Jesus Christ, God bends down over man to hold out a hand to him, to raise him up and to help him continue his journey with renewed strength” (Memory and Identity, John Paul II, 2005). Christ is the Anointed of God, God’s saving presence among us. Peter elsewhere says, when Christ asks him if he too will walk away from him like the rest of the crowd that cannot accept the reality of his presence in the Eucharist, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.” This is Peter’s firm conviction. He knows who Christ is. When he preaches Christ, it will not be the false ideas of others, but the truth, Jesus’ understanding of himself that he will pass on to others. That is why Peter is Rock. 3. How Openly Do I Profess Him? The Church is built on Peter’s faith, but his faith was not limited to saying Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Peter also showed his faith in his actions; he preached Christ throughout Palestine and as far as Rome, and there he gave witness of his faith in Christ by giving his life for him. If our homes are “Domestic Churches”, don’t they also need a Rock on which to be built? Isn’t that Rock our faith? A faith that doesn’t only pray together, that doesn’t consist in mere words but is made reality in our passing on the faith, in our service, in our “laying down our life for others”. Dialogue with Christ: Lord, you told us that no one knows the Father except through you, and that to see you is to see the Father. Thank you for staying with us in the Eucharist till the end of time. Thank you for remaining with us in the presence of your Vicar, to guide us until the end of time. May my life be your presence for those with whom I live. Resolution: I will visit Christ in the Eucharist today. There I will reflect on my particular call to be his apostle. |
|
Jas 4:1-10 / Mk 9:30-37 Today the Church celebrates the feast day of the Chair of Peter. This celebration dates back to at least the fourth century. The Calendar of Philocalus, made in the year 354 and having dates going back to the year 311, marks February 22 for this feast. According to very ancient Western liturgies, February 22 was the date that Christ appointed Peter to sit in His place as the authority over His Church. What we read in the Gospel of Matthew when our Lord said to Peter, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18) is said to have occurred on this date. The “chair” of course, is the position, the authority that was given to Peter. This can also be called the Petrine authority or the authority of the pope. Peter, alone among the Apostles, was given the keys to the kingdom. Jesus said to him, “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.” The Apostles would immediately understand, as would any first-century Jew, what Jesus was referring to when He said “keys to the kingdom”. This was a reference to Isaiah 22 where it refers to a king delegating his special authority over his kingdom to his prime minister. In essence, Jesus was setting up His kingdom on earth (the Catholic Church) and he was delegating His authority to Peter to rule over it until He comes again. In giving Peter the authority to bind and loose, Jesus was essentially stating that He would back up the decisions that Peter would make. Of course, the Church teaches us that this does not refer to all Peter’s actions, but in matters of faith and morals, Peter does have the authority to speak for Christ. Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide His Church. This promise is made to guide Peter and the popes throughout the ages, in union with the bishops, in shepherding His Church. Peter, or the pope, however, is the shepherd who watches over the flock until Christ returns. We see this in Scripture also when Christ, after His resurrection and just prior to His Ascension, says to Peter, calling him by his former name (before Christ changed it): “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (Referring to the other apostles) Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was distressed that He had said to him a third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything, You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep” (Jn 21:15-17). Jesus is our true Shepherd, but He has asked Peter to watch over His flock until He returns to earth. Christ is the King of Kings and He has delegated His authority to Peter and all those after Peter who would sit in the “Chair of Peter” throughout the ages until He comes again in His glory. And so Scripture makes it very clear why the Church celebrates this special occasion. |
Wednesday February 22, 2006 Chair of Saint Peter
Reading (1 Peter 5:1-4) Gospel (St. Mark 9:41-50)
Today as we celebrate this feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, we have to recall that we are not honoring a chair per se, but rather what this feast is about has to do with the authority that is given to Saint Peter and his successors. We see that very clearly in the Gospel reading today. Saint Peter is made by Our Lord to be the prime minister in His kingdom. Jesus is the King, but every kingdom in the ancient world had a prime minister. The symbol of the prime minister was the keys. They keys represented the fact that the prime minister had the full authority of the king to be able to speak, to be able to make laws, and to be able to dispense from laws. The keys symbolized the fact that he could open any door or lock any door.
So Jesus says, Whatever you hold bound on earth will be held bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. He gives that kind of authority to a human person. This is an astounding thing; however, it makes perfect sense at the same time because being human we have to have somebody we can look to as the head, as the leader. Jesus is in heaven. He is the Head of the Body. Yet because we cannot see Him and we cannot hear Him with our ears, we need somebody who is going to be a point of unity. We all know that. Humanity just by nature tends that way. Every culture is set up in such a way that there has to be somebody who is going to lead. That is what the purpose of the papacy is. It is to guarantee the unity of the body, because as long as we are united with the Pope we have the guarantee that we are united with Jesus.
If we separate ourselves from the teachings and the person of the Holy Father, then we do not have that guarantee any longer. Then we are out there on our own being blown around, as Saint Paul would say, by every wind of doctrine that comes along. Then it is up to us personally to decide what is true and what is not, what the teaching of Jesus really means and what it does not. We become our own infallible authority. We become the one who is the head of the Church. We cannot do that. There can only be one head. If all of us are running around trying to be the head, we are going to get a little top heavy and collapse. It just cannot work. Knowing this, Jesus established authority within His Church and gave that authority squarely to Peter. And because the office of the prime minister is one of succession, when Peter would die, the keys would be passed on to the next one, to the one who would succeed him.
It is very interesting to note from a historical perspective that even in the early Church they did not keep track of any of the episcopal lines of succession of any other apostle except Peter. We do not know who the bishops were that the beloved disciple ordained and who their successors were. We do not know the names even of most of the bishops that Saint Paul ordained and who their successors were. The only ones who have been kept track of right from the very beginning are Saint Peter and his successors. It demonstrates clearly that the early Church understood this. This can be found most clearly in the letters of Saint Clement, when the bishop from Corinth, one of the churches Saint Paul founded, wrote to the Bishop of Rome to ask him to intercede and to help solve the problem they were having in Corinth. He did not go to any of the bishops around him in any of the churches that Saint Paul had founded, but rather he wrote to Rome to ask the Pope to deal with their problem. That is the kind of thing we see in the early Church, and that is exactly what has carried on throughout.
Saint Peter, in the first reading that we heard today, recognizes what this authority is about. It is to serve. It is not about power; it is about authority. Power is something which is oftentimes exercised selfishly. Authority is given for the service of others. That is exactly what Saint Peter tells the presbyters (the elders or the priests) to do: not to lord it over the flock entrusted to their care, but to serve them willingly and be a good example. That is exactly what the Pope is to do. He is called to serve. In fact, one of his titles is the Servus Servorum Dei, “The Servant of the Servants of God.” That is what he is called to do. The one who is the greatest is the one who must serve the rest, Jesus said. And so if He has elevated a person to that position, then that person has to be humble and has to serve the rest.
Unfortunately, there are many examples throughout history where there has not been that humility or service. But, thanks be to God, in our day we have seen great examples of precisely what it ought to be: someone who is humble, someone who serves, someone at the same time who is going to be strong and corrective to discipline what needs to be disciplined within the Church, someone who is truly a father and is going to lead the flock with care, loving them and being a good example, and leading the people to the Chief Shepherd, as Saint Peter calls Him, Jesus Christ, our true King and Head of the Mystical Body.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
Faith-sharing bump.
I've always preferred this version of the famous Bible verse: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of HELL shall not prevail against it." More powerful than "netherworld", IMO.
| Mt 16:13-23 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 13 | And Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? | venit autem Iesus in partes Caesareae Philippi et interrogabat discipulos suos dicens quem dicunt homines esse Filium hominis |
| 14 | But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. | at illi dixerunt alii Iohannem Baptistam alii autem Heliam alii vero Hieremiam aut unum ex prophetis |
| 15 | Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? | dicit illis vos autem quem me esse dicitis |
| 16 | Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. | respondens Simon Petrus dixit tu es Christus Filius Dei vivi |
| 17 | And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. | respondens autem Iesus dixit ei beatus es Simon Bar Iona quia caro et sanguis non revelavit tibi sed Pater meus qui in caelis est |
| 18 | And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. | et ego dico tibi quia tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversum eam |
| 19 | And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. | et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum et quodcumque ligaveris super terram erit ligatum in caelis et quodcumque solveris super terram erit solutum in caelis |
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
"All this is yet but a beginning of the mystery of unity. Jesus Christ, in beginning it, still spoke to many: Go, preach; I send you [see Mt. 28, 19]. Now, when He would put the last hand to the mystery of unity, He speaks no longer to many: He marks out Peter personally, and by the new name which He has given him. It is One who speaks to one: Jesus Christ the Son of God to Simon son of Jonas; Jesus Christ, who is the true Stone, strong of Himself, to Simon, who is only the stone by the strength which Jesus Christ imparts to him. It is to him that Christ speaks, and in speaking acts on him, and stamps upon him His own immovableness. And I, He says, say to you, you are Peter; and, He adds, upon this rock I will build my Church, and, He concludes, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Mt. 16, 18] To prepare him for that honor Jesus Christ, who knows that faith in Himself is the foundation of His Church, inspires Peter with a faith worthy to be the foundation of that admirable building. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. [Mt. 16, 16] By that bold preaching of the faith he draws to himself the inviolable promise which makes him the foundation of the Church.