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2012년6월 29일 화요일 성 베드로와 성 바오로 사도 대축일
제1독서
사도행전.12,1-11
그 무렵 1 헤로데 임금이 교회에 속한 몇몇 사람을 해치려고 손을 뻗쳤다. 2 그는 먼저 요한의 형 야고보를 칼로 쳐 죽이게 하고서, 3 유다인들이 그 일로 좋아하는 것을 보고 베드로도 잡아들이게 하였다. 때는 무교절 기간이었다.
4 그는 베드로를 붙잡아 감옥에 가두고, 네 명씩 짠 네 개의 경비조에 맡겨 지키게 하였다. 파스카 축제가 끝나면 그를 백성 앞으로 끌어낼 작정이었던 것이다. 5 그리하여 베드로는 감옥에 갇히고, 교회는 그를 위하여 끊임없이 기도하였다.
6 헤로데가 베드로를 끌어내려고 하던 그 전날 밤, 베드로는 두 개의 쇠사슬에 묶인 채 두 군사 사이에서 잠을 자고 있었고, 문 앞에서는 파수병들이 감옥을 지키고 있었다.
7 그런데 갑자기 주님의 천사가 나타나더니, 감방에 빛이 비치는 것이었다. 천사는 베드로의 옆구리를 두드려 깨우면서, “빨리 일어나라.” 하고 말하였다. 그러자 그의 손에서 쇠사슬이 떨어져 나갔다.
8 천사가 베드로에게 “허리띠를 매고 신을 신어라.” 하고 이르니, 베드로가 그렇게 하였다.
천사가 또 베드로에게 “겉옷을 입고 나를 따라라.” 하고 말하였다. 9 베드로는 따라 나가면서도, 천사가 일으키는 그 일이 실제인 줄 모르고 환시를 보는 것이려니 생각하였다.
10 그들이 첫째 초소와 둘째 초소를 지나 성안으로 통하는 쇠문 앞에 다다르자, 문이 앞에서 저절로 열렸다. 그래서 밖으로 나가 어떤 거리를 따라 내려갔는데, 천사가 갑자기 그에게서 사라져 버렸다.
11 그제야 베드로가 정신이 들어 이렇게 말하였다. “이제야 참으로 알았다. 주님께서 당신의 천사를 보내시어 헤로데의 손에서, 유다 백성이 바라던 그 모든 것에서 나를 빼내어 주셨다.”
제2독서
티모테오 2서 4,6-8.17-18
사랑하는 그대여, 6 나는 이미 하느님께 올리는 포도주로 바쳐지고 있습니다. 내가 이 세상을 떠날 때가 다가온 것입니다. 7 나는 훌륭히 싸웠고, 달릴 길을 다 달렸으며, 믿음을 지켰습니다. 8 이제는 의로움의 화관이 나를 위하여 마련되어 있습니다. 의로운 심판관이신 주님께서 그날에 그것을 나에게 주실 것입니다. 나만이 아니라, 그분께서 나타나시기를 애타게 기다린 모든 사람에게도 주실 것입니다.
17 주님께서는 내 곁에 계시면서 나를 굳세게 해 주셨습니다. 나를 통하여 복음 선포가 완수되고, 모든 민족들이 그것을 듣게 하시려는 것이었습니다. 그리고 나는 사자의 입에서 구출되었습니다.
18 주님께서는 앞으로도 나를 모든 악행에서 구출하시고, 하늘에 있는 당신 나라에 들어갈 수 있게 구원해 주실 것입니다. 그분께 영광이 영원무궁하기를 빕니다. 아멘.
복음
마태오 16,13-19
13 예수님께서 카이사리아 필리피 지방에 다다르시자 제자들에게, “사람의 아들을 누구라고들 하느냐?” 하고 물으셨다.
14 제자들이 대답하였다. “세례자 요한이라고 합니다. 그러나 어떤 이들은 엘리야라 하고, 또 어떤 이들은 예레미야나 예언자 가운데 한 분이라고 합니다.”
15 예수님께서 “그러면 너희는 나를 누구라고 하느냐?” 하고 물으시자, 16 시몬 베드로가 “스승님은 살아 계신 하느님의 아드님 그리스도이십니다.” 하고 대답하였다.
17 그러자 예수님께서 그에게 이르셨다.
“시몬 바르요나야, 너는 행복하다! 살과 피가 아니라 하늘에 계신 내 아버지께서 그것을 너에게 알려 주셨기 때문이다. 18 나 또한 너에게 말한다. 너는 베드로이다. 내가 이 반석 위에 내 교회를 세울 터인즉, 저승의 세력도 그것을 이기지 못할 것이다.
19 또 나는 너에게 하늘 나라의 열쇠를 주겠다. 그러니 네가 무엇이든지 땅에서 매면 하늘에서도 매일 것이고, 네가 무엇이든지 땅에서 풀면 하늘에서도 풀릴 것이다.”
http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
June 29, 2012
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Reading 1
In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.
He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
–It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.–
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.
On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains,
was sleeping between two soldiers,
while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.
Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
“Get up quickly.”
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”
He did so.
Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
They passed the first guard, then the second,
and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They emerged and made their way down an alley,
and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said,
“Now I know for certain
that the Lord sent his angel
and rescued me from the hand of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”
R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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.
Forflesh 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.”
only I can do it
Jesus ask his disciples, "Who do
you say I am?" Matthew 16:13,15
Two boys spotted a scorpion. One
boy, Al, said "A scorpion stung me
once." His friend, Joe, said, "How
bad did it hurt? Al thought for a
moment. Then he pinched his own
arm to the degree that he remem-
bered the sting. Then Al turned
and pinched his friend, Joe, and
and pinched his arm to the same
degree. Joe said, "That wasn't bad!
Al replied, "Well, I can't feel a sting
for you; but that's about how I re-
membered the scorpion's sting.
There are some things another
can't do for me. They can't feel a
sting for me, exercise for me, or
cultivate a relationship with Jesus
for me. I must do this myself.
To seek God
is the greatest of all adventures;
to find God, is the greatest
of all human achievements.
To fall in love with God
is the greatest of all romances;
Raphael Simon adapted
http://www.franciscanretreats.net/
We are all very familiar with Saints Peter and Paul, whose Solemnity we celebrate today. They are the “Babe Ruths” of Christianity. We all admire them for their great spiritual strength and leadership and at the same time we see just how human they were. Both of them erred and both of them were very holy men worthy of being followed by us. Both were writers. Paul wrote ten Letters which are part of the Scriptures. Peter wrote two. Paul started out using his energies to suppress the flock of Jesus, but ended up being converted to it himself and becoming known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul traveled all over the then-known world spreading the Good News of Jesus.
Peter was bold and rash and yet he was one of the greatest lovers of Jesus. He swore up and down he would follow Jesus anywhere at any time. In fact, it was his great love that led him to follow Jesus into the courtyard during his passion which occasioned his triple denial of Jesus when questioned by the servant girl. Both Peter and Paul went to Rome and both died there, Paul by being beheaded at Tre Fontane and Peter by being crucified upside down. Both were stalwarts of the early Church and greatly responsible for its growth and success.
Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.
http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html
You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God
oday, is the day consecrated by the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul! «Peter, our leader in faith; Paul, its fearless preacher who became the teacher of the world» (Preface). Today is a day to be grateful for the Apostolic Faith, which is also our faith, proclaimed by these two pillars of the Church through their preaching. It is the faith overcoming the world, because it believes and announces Jesus Christ as the Son of God: «You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God» (Mt 16:16). Other celebrations of St. Peter and St. Paul commemorate other aspects of their lives, but to day we contemplate the memory of the Apostles «through whom our religious life had its origin» (Collect): through their martyrdom they confirmed their testimony.
Their faith, and strength for martyrdom, did not come from their human capacity. For it was no man of flesh or blood that has revealed Peter who was Jesus, but the revelation of his Father in Heaven (cf. Mt 16:17). And likewise, it was indeed God's grace that made Saul recognize Jesus, the Lord, “as the one he was persecuting”. In both cases, human freedom, necessary for the act of faith, leans on the Holy Spirit's action.
The faith of the apostles is the faith of the, one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Since Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi, «every day, in the Church, Peter goes on saying: ‘You are Christ, the Son of the living God’» (St. Leo the Great). Ever since, till our days, a crowd of Christians of all epochs, ages, cultures, and anything else that may differentiate men has unanimously proclaimed the same victorious faith.
Through Baptism and Confirmation we are paving a path to testimony, that is, a path to martyrdom. It is necessary that we are always attentive to the “laboratory of faith” that the Holy Spirit carries out upon us (John Paul II), and that we implore with humility to be able to experiment the joy of the faith of the Church.
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
We celebrate today the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The readings are fairly sober in that they speak of events that relate to both disciples’ end of life experiences.
In the first, from Acts, St. Peter is in prison under unusually heavy guard and secured by chains when he is miraculously freed from his chains and led out to freedom. And in his second letter to Timothy, Paul reflects on his long life of service to the early churches as “being poured out like a libation.” He has “fought the good fight” and he has “kept the faith” and he now looks forward to the “crown” that awaits him with the Lord.
Both readings speak of the apostles being rescued by the Lord. Both, too, are the founders of the early church in Rome due primarily to the reality of their experiencing themselves as one with Christ by their service of others. Indeed Christ is the very center and purpose of their lives devoted to bringing the gospel to the world.
The Christ who rescues them is the same Christ whom they followed as a disciple. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus himself is approaching his own cruel death as he nears Jerusalem and he asked his friends/companions/disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Peter’s answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” is praised by Jesus not only as the “correct” answer, but that the answer itself comes to Peter as God’s own revelation. Jesus promises that Peter will be the rock on which Jesus’ church will be built.
As we consider the character of both these early founders of our church we are impressed by the fact that they as individual people they are not the source of the goodness that flowed from and through them; that strength and goodness was God’s gift they would experience throughout the course of their magnificent service to others. Both had their huge flaws: Peter was impetuous, strong-willed, and often obtuse to the message that Jesus was trying to give him; Paul started off as a persecutor of the church. Seemingly not a very auspicious beginning for them!
Yet, each of them was open to being “rescued” by Jesus and each recognized that he was privileged to work side-by-side with Christ. They both, tradition tells us, were martyrs for Christ and as such models for our own privileged witnessing as members of the Risen Body of Christ.
What do their lives say to us, today? That we, too, are called by Jesus into service and that our service, however small and meager it appears to us, is the gift of God as well as an ongoing invitation to us to follow Jesus as his disciples today in our difficult circumstances. Just like Peter and Paul, we are witnesses for Christ to those we come in contact with. Our “witnessing” probably will not lead to our cruel martyrdom as Peter and Paul’s (and Jesus’), but we too can “pour ourselves out” as Jesus (and Peter and Paul) did. We can, like them “fight the good fight” and, most importantly, “keep the faith.”
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/
"Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven"
Today in many churches of the East and West the Apostles Peter and Paul are commemorated. Both were martyred in Rome in the first century. They tirelessly worked for the spread of the gospel, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations as well. They risked their lives in the process and gladly poured out their blood in loyalty to their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul so eloquently stated in his second epistle to Timothy, they courageously fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
How firm is your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? At an opportune time Jesus tested his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:13). Jesus was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God. Jesus then confered on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would build, a church that no powers could overcome. Jesus played on Peter's name which is the same word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek. To call someone a "rock" is one of the greatest of compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon." Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God.
The New Testament describes the church, the people of God, as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Lord Jesus tests each of us personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am?
"Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior who has set me free from sin and deception. Make my faith strong like the Apostles Peter and Paul and give me boldness to speak of you to others that they may come to know you as Lord and Savior."
Psalm34:1-9
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want!
http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html
Today's Readings for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul are really wonderful and provide an immense source of inspirational material. They remind me of the importance of not only reading or hearing Sacred Scripture, but meditating upon it and savoring it.
Reading or hearing the Word as it is proclaimed at Mass is like a vigorous shower beating down on us. Meditating, on the other hand. is like a long leisurely bath. Though we each might have our preference when it comes to showering or bathing, when it comes to Holy Scripture we can't just take a metaphorical shower all the time, but need time to soak in God's Word, to let it soften us and make us receptive to God's love and action in our lives.
As God was present to Saints Peter and Paul and the trials and joys of their existence, so too is He present to us.
Read, listen, meditate -- "Taste and see how good the Lord is!" (see Psalm 34:9)
~ Donna Raye Nelson, OCDS
http://www.contemplative.com/weekday_readings.htm
The Church considers this feast so important that it can take precedence over the Sunday Readings of the Ordinary Time when it occurs on a Sunday, being a solemnity in the calendar.
This feast's significance is important for those who are intent upon the path of contemplative prayer. At the heart of our union with Christ is our union with the Church. You cannot separate what some call the institutional church from the spiritual, mystical reality of union with God in Christ.
We cannot enter into union with Christ in his word and sacrament, indeed we would never have had contact with Him unless it was through those who have borne witness to Christ and the Kingdom. The witness of the Spirit to Christ is carried in the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments. The “Handing On,” Tradition, with a capital "T" is entrusted to the apostles and after them, to their successors, the bishops in communion with the Pope. In this way, Peter and Paul stand as the great instruments of this work of salvation and deification accomplished in grace, in faith, hope and love.
Peter and Paul would not be here in this 21st century if Christ had not been incarnate among us and chosen them. It is true to say that Christ would not be now in the Spirit present to us leading us into the Father if it were not for Peter and Paul, principally and among others, and their fidelity to their mission. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and the manifestation of the Church, the Bride of Christ, His Mystical Body, are of one divine reality. This is the plan of our redemption. Christ is present to the world through the witness of his Apostles, as Church.
As the Word is incarnate in flesh, in the particularity of the Man, Jesus, so the mystery of Christ in the Spirit is incarnate in the particularity of the Church, and in its fullness, in the Catholic Church, gathered in communion with the successor of Peter, the Holy Father, the Pope.
Peter's own personal spirituality, his union with God, is manifested in his confession of faith in the Gospel Reading. You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. But in the mystery of the Church with its gift of hierarchy, that grace becomes ecclesiastical mission. For my part I declare to you, you are "Rock," and on this rock I will build my Church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it. I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
Jesus is identified with each and every one baptized in him and in his Spirit, but to one is given the keys and upon one is designated the rock upon which the unity and indefectibility of the Church is founded. That one is St. Peter. His ministry continues now through the Pope.
What has this to do with my spirit, with my heart's longing for union with God? It has to do with the foundation of our life in Christ. The body needs the structure of the bones to hold its vital organs and to give mobility. The structure exists that the vital organs sustain life. Being creatures who must know to love, who must proclaim the truth out of love, who come to God through His Revelation, we must have the structure of the teaching authority to hand on the Great Teaching that is the Truth and to maintain the unity of Christ's Body. The structure serves the heart which is the Spirit making alive within us and to the world, the Presence of the Father in his glorified Son.
When we oppose the guiding light of the Teaching Authority then we have error, factions, and schism. It is painful to see those, who see themselves as spiritual, in opposition to the Church and disobedient to the ecclesial authority. Christ who was obedient unto death cannot be found in that condition. The Spirit who enlightens the Word cannot be in contradiction with Word.
When those in the Teaching Authority ministry neglect the spiritual life we see a weakened presence of authority, a self-serving authority as was evidenced in the recent scandals of the clergy and an atmosphere of what is called clericalism.
What is solemnly celebrated today in the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is the manifestation of holiness with the gift of Apostolic Authority. The Lord will continue to rescue me from all attempts to do me harm and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen (Second Reading).
The Church is called in the Letter to the Ephesians, "the fullness of Him who fills all things." It is the one Spirit and the one Lord who fills the Church and who seek to transform me into the image of Christ. My surrender must be to those two aspects of the one Mystery of Christ, the spiritual and the visible authority.
Ultimately we are centered into the Father with Christ in the Spirit. That is the heart of our contemplative prayer founded on the Rock of the Church. Blest are you, Simon son of John! Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father (Gospel Reading).
http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php
When Jesus asked the disciples who the people believed he was, they gave him a list of dead men: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” All dead. Peter alone mentioned life: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350 – 428) commented: “Having said that Peter’s confession is a rock, Jesus stated, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church.’ This means he will build his Church upon this same confession and faith.”
This is the “key to the Kingdom of heaven.” In ancient times a key was a hefty piece of equipment: in Isaiah 22:22 there is reference to placing a key on a man’s shoulder. But keys are now tiny things. The key to the Kingdom is a small thing. It is to see Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He himself said to the Sadducees on one occasion: “[God] is God not of the dead, but of the living” (Lk 20:38).
Jesus is alive, but there are many who have an interest in keeping him dead: then he is controllable, predictable, even saleable. But he is not dead. The key is to see that he is everywhere: he is looking out of the eyes of the stranger and the sinner and the outsider. But even this key can be turned into an instrument of exclusion and control. It is meant to be the opposite: it is for opening.
John Chrysostom (4th-5th century): “He did not ask ‘Who do the scribes and Pharisees say that I am?’ even though they had often come to talk with him. Rather, he asked, ‘Who do people say the Son of man is?’ as if to inquire about common opinion. Even if the common opinion was far less true than it might have been, it was at least freer of malice than the opinion of the religious leaders, who were reeking of bad motives.” The latter, and their successors throughout the ages, would like to see his tomb sealed, the heavy stone securely in place for all time.
Let’s not say ‘they’; let’s say ‘we’. The Gospel is always about us, not about them; Jesus spoke in the second person; he was not a social commentator or a journalist. The heavy stone represents the past; we live too much under its weight; we interpret the present not as something new but as something old. But there are moments when the stone moves aside, even if only a fraction of an inch, and we glimpse the living Christ, as Peter did. In such moments our faith is in living continuity with his.
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ATTACK! | ||
"The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 뾏atthew 16:18, KJV; see also Mt 16:18, JB | ||
I heard a priest give a homily on the above passage. He commented that gates are for defensive purposes only. Gates do not attack; they defend. When was the last time you heard about a gate attacking someone? This means that evil should be defending itself against us, not vice versa. We, the members of the Church of God, are to be on the offense, as Saints Peter and Paul repeatedly have shown us. On the cross, Jesus definitively defeated Satan and his kingdom of darkness. On his way back to defeat, Satan, in his fury, is trying to cause as many casualties as he can and damage God's kingdom as much as possible. We are in the mop-up phase of the cosmic, spiritual war. Although we must be careful not to cause others to become casualties or become casualties ourselves, we cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated (Mt 10:26) or manipulated into abandoning the offensive. We, the members of the Church on earth, are called the "Church militant" for a reason: we are to press the attack knowing that the stationary gates of hell "shall not prevail against" us (Mt 16:18). We wield "the weapons of righteousness" (2 Cor 6:7), and the weapons of prayer and fasting (Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II, 100) are the most effective. Attack the gates of hell with the weapons of prayer, fasting, redemptive suffering, evangelization, eucharistic adoration, praise, teaching, and love. "Fight hard for the faith" (Jude 3). | ||
Prayer: Father, I will fight "the good fight" (2 Tm 4:7) for You. | ||
Promise: "The Lord stood by my side and gave me strength." �2 Tm 4:17 | ||
Praise: "How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!...To Him be glory forever" (Rm 11:33, 36). |
http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm
But who do you say that I am? We know who we profess the Lord to be. It’s easy to proclaim faith in the Messiah with our words, but what tales do our actions tell? Peter and Paul demonstrate with their lives the demands of discipleship and the special call that we each receive. Peter’s call was to shepherd the Lord’s flock; Paul’s was to spread the good news of Christ Jesus. As we celebrate these two principal patrons of Rome, let’s incorporate their missions into our daily living. We can profess the Messiah as the Son of the living God by guiding others to him and preaching the word. Lord, may all we say and do proclaim that you are the living God, we pray. PR
http://www.judeop.org/dailyreflections.htm
Peter and Paul stand as two giants in the establishment of the church at the very beginning. They were both strong personalities and, on occasion, they clashed [Galatians 2:11-14]. In any case, they have become larger than their individual personal histories and have taken on a symbolic importance in the sense that Peter represents the structured and hierarchical ministry as well as the "unity" of the church, for which the Pope is the flesh and blood sign! Paul has come to represent the "charismatic" evangelical and spirited side of the ministry. These are broad characterizations, but I think they are fair ones, and used widely.
Nevertheless, the liturgical celebration of this feast in Rome has taken on a decidedly "petrine" flavor because this is the day that newly appointed archbishops from around the world come to Rome to receive the symbol of their office, a kind of sash called the "pallium." This is supposed to symbolize their relationship with the Pope, although they don't really have a lot of authority over the bishops in their "provinces." (The Diocese of Austin, lead by Bishop Joe Vasquez, where I am based, is part of the "metropolitan province" of Galveston-Houston, where Cardinal DiNardo is archbishop.)
If nothing else, the celebration of this feast can remind us of the vast reality that is the Catholic Church, its diversity now and from the beginning, especially in the necessary ministries of leadership and evangelism. All of this has to be lived on the local level anyhow, and we know what happens when strong personalities get involved! AMEN
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The early apostles and missionaries under the leadership of Peter and
Paul were the bridge builders to the Kingdom of Christ. The bishops,
priests and religious help maintain and repair the bridge.
Contemporary lay leaders assist others crossing the bridge.
And of course, there are always some professional critics who do
nothing but criticize the efforts of others, and put up barriers for
others to cross the bridge to the message of Jesus. However, under the
guidance of the Spirit of God, our hope is enlivened and we go
forward, building up the Kingdom of God in our individual lives and
the world, knowing that as St. Paul states in Romans: "With God on our
side, who can be against us?"(Rom. 8:31)
Jesus remains with us personally in the Holy Eucharist and dynamically
in the action of his Spirit. He is present, too, in the person of
Peter and the bishops, as teacher and guide to his people. Ultimately
it is Jesus, who leads, and it is he who chose Peter and the bishops
as the court of last appeal, the rock and foundation.
Today we offer heartfelt prayers for all who serve in the various
levels of Church leadership and for the self-sacrificing men and women
in the missions, facing hardships to bring to others the message of
Jesus. We remember that every Christian is expected to be a leader and
a missionary. We are all called to inspire others with divine wisdom
and to unify and sanctify the world for Jesus.
We prefer to think of the Church as a community of believers and a sign of God’s presence in the world than as an institution. But because it has laws, customs, and lands, the Church has been able to thrive through the centuries. The institution, of course, is headquartered in Rome where Saints Peter and Paul came to facilitate the evangelization of the world.
Rome, especially in the first century, is unlike any other city. Romans are practical people and ancient Romans were consummate lawyers and engineers as well. Their aptitude for organization, which they lent to the Church, and their excellent roads enabled Christianity to flourish. Part of the genius of both Peter and Paul was to take advantage of all the benefits that the “Eternal City” offered.
Today, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the people of Rome have a holiday while Catholics around the world have opportunity to contemplate the authority of the pope, the bishop of Rome. Like Peter he is the symbol of unity of the Church. Like Paul he has the commission to assure the spread of the gospel, especially to pagan nations. With men of great holiness and wisdom serving as popes over the past century, we also have added reason to celebrate today with Romans.
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