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Showing posts with label Catholic saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic saints. Show all posts
Saturday, 12 February 2022
Monday, 29 October 2018
All Saints Day! November 1
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| All Saints |
All Saints Day!
Solemnity of All Saints, November 1
Today we honor those holy men and women who have gone before
us in faith and have done so in a glorious way.
As we honor these great champions of faith, let’s reflect upon who they
are and what role they continue to play in the life of the Church. The following excerpt is from Chapter 8 of My Catholic Faith!:
The Church Triumphant:
Those have gone before us and now share in the glories of Heaven, in the
Beatific Vision, are not gone. Sure, we
do not see them and we cannot necessarily hear them speak to us in the physical
way they did while on Earth. But they
are not gone at all. St. Therese of
Lisieux said it best when she said, “I want to spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.”
The saints in Heaven are in full union with God and make up
the Communion of Saints in Heaven, the Church Triumphant! What’s important to note, however, is that
even though they are enjoying their eternal reward, they are still very much
concerned about us.
The saints in Heaven are entrusted with the important task
of intercession. Sure, God already knows
all our needs and He could ask us to go directly to Him in our prayers. But the truth is that God wants to use the
intercession, and therefore, the mediation of the saints in our lives. He uses them to bring our prayers to Him and,
in return, to bring His grace to us.
They become powerful intercessors for us and participators in God’s
divine action in the world.
Why is this the case?
Again, why doesn’t God just choose to deal with us directly rather than
go through intermediaries? Because God wants all of us to share in His
good work and to participate in His divine plan. It would be like a dad who buys a nice
necklace for his wife. He shows it to
his young children and they are excited about this gift. The mom comes in and the dad asks the
children to bring the gift to her. Now
the gift is from her husband but she will most likely thank her children first
for their participation in giving this gift to her. The father wanted the children to be part of
this giving and the mother wanted to make the children a part of her receiving
and gratitude. So it is with God! God wants the saints to share in the distribution
of His manifold gifts. And this act
fills His heart with joy!
The saints also give us a model of holiness. The charity they live on Earth lives on. The witness of their love and sacrifice was
not just a onetime act in history.
Rather, charity is living and continues to have an effect for the
good. Therefore, the charity and witness
of the saints lives on and affects our lives.
This charity in their lives creates a bond with us, a communion. It enables us to love them, admire them and
want to follow their example. It is
this, coupled with their continuing intercession, that establishes a powerful
bond of love and union with us.
Lord, as the saints in
Heaven adore You for eternity,
I beg for their intercession.
Saints of God, please come to my aide.
Pray for me and bring to me the grace
I need
to live a holy life in imitation
of your own lives.
All saints of God, pray for us.
Jesus, I Trust in YOU.
From the book – Daily Reflections
for Ordinary Time: Weeks 18-34 by John Paul Thomas
I highly recommend
this series of books… Reflections for every day on the Roman Catholic scripture
readings. You can purchase this book on Amazon book form or ebook.
Litany of the Saints
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, Have Mercy On Us.
Lord, Have Mercy On Us.
Christ, Hear Us.
Christ, Graciously Hear Us.
God, The Father Of Heaven, Have Mercy On Us.
God The Son, Redeemer Of The World, Have Mercy On Us.
God The Holy Ghost, Have Mercy On Us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have Mercy On Us.
Holy Mary, Pray For Us.
Holy Mother Of God, Pray For Us.
Holy Virgin Of Virgins, Pray For Us.
St. Michael, Pray For Us.
St. Gabriel, Pray For Us.
St. Raphael, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Angels And Archangels, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Orders Of Blessed Spirits, Pray For Us.
St. John The Baptist, Pray For Us. St. Joseph, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Patriarchs And Prophets, Pray For Us.
St. Peter, Pray For Us.
St. Paul, Pray For Us.
St. Andrew, Pray For Us.
St. James, Pray For Us.
St. John, Pray For Us.
St. Thomas, Pray For Us.
St. James, Pray For Us.
St. Philip, Pray For Us.
St. Bartholomew, Pray For Us.
St. Matthew, Pray For Us.
St. Simon, Pray For Us.
St. Thaddeus, Pray For Us.
St. Barnabas, Pray For Us.
St. Luke, Pray For Us.
St. Mark, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Apostles And Evangelist, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Disciples Of Our Lord, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Innocents, Pray For Us.
St. Stephen, Pray For Us.
St. Lawrence, Pray For Us.
St. Vincent, Pray For Us.
Ss. Fabian And Sebastian, Pray For Us.
Ss. John And Paul, Pray For Us.
Ss. Cosmos And Damian, Pray For Us.
Ss. Gervase And Protase, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Martyrs, Pray For Us.
St. Sylvester, Pray For Us.
St. Gregory, Pray For Us.
St. Ambrose, Pray For Us.
St. Augustine, Pray For Us.
St. Jerome, Pray For Us.
St. Martin, Pray For Us.
St. Nicholas, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Bishops And Confessors, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Doctors, Pray For Us.
St. Anthony, Pray For Us.
St. Benedict, Pray For Us.
St. Bernard, Pray For Us.
St. Dominic, Pray For Us.
St. Francis, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Priest And Levites, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Monks And Hermits, Pray For Us.
St. Mary Magdalen, Pray For Us.
St. Agatha, Pray For Us.
St. Lucy, Pray For Us.
St. Agnes, Pray For Us.
St. Cecilia, Pray For Us.
St. Catherine, Pray For Us.
St. Anastasia, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Virgins And Widows, Pray For Us.
All Ye Men And Women, Saints Of God, Make Intercession For
Us.
Be Merciful, Spare Us, O Lord!
Be Merciful, Graciously Hear Us, O Lord!
From All Evil, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From All Sin, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Thy Wrath, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From A Sudden And Unprovided Death, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From The Deceits Of The Devil, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Anger, Hatred, And All Ill Will, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From The Spirit Of Fornication, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Lightning And Tempest, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From The Scourge Of Earthquake, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Pestilence, Famine, And War, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Everlasting Death, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through The Mystery Of Thy Holy Incarnation, O Lord, Deliver
Us.
Through Thy Coming, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Nativity, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Baptism And Holy Fasting, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Cross And Passion, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Death And Burial, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thine Admirable Ascension, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through The Coming Of The Holy Ghost, The Paraclete, O Lord,
Deliver Us.
In The Day Of Judgment, We Sinners Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Spare Us, We Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Pardon Us, We Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Vouchsafe To Bring Us To True Penance, We
Beseech Thee Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Vouchsafe To Govern And
Preserve Thy Holy
Church.... We Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic
Prelate and all Ecclesiastical Orders in Holy Religion. We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of Thy Holy church, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouch safe to give peace and true concord
to christian kings and princes, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant peace and unity to all
Christian people, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring back to the unity of
the church all those who have strayed away, and lead to the light of the gospel
all unbelievers, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us Thy
holy service, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires, we
beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our
benefactors, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst deliver our souls and those of our
brethren, relative, and benefactors from eternal damnation, we beseech thee,
hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits
of the earth, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to give eternal rest to all the
faithful departed, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us, we
beseech thee, hear us.
Son of God, we beseech thee, hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare
us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.......
Christ, graciously hear us.......
Lord, have mercy on us.......
Christ, have mercy on us.......
Lord, have mercy on us.......
Our Father, etc, (in secret.)
V- and lead us not into temptation.
R- but deliver us from evil.
Psalm 69
Incline unto my aid, O God.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul.
Let them be turned backward and blush for shame that desire
evils to me.
Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that
say to me, "Tis well, 'tis well."
Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let
such as love Thy salvation say always, The Lord be magnified. But I am needy
and poor: O God, help me.
Thou art my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, make no delay.
Glory Be To The Father, etc.
V- Save Thy servants.
R- Trusting in Thee, O my God.
V- Be unto us, O Lord, a tower a strength.
R- From the face of the enemy.
V- Let not the enemy prevail against us.
R- Nor the son of iniquity have power to hurt us.
V- O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
R- Neither reward us according to our iniquities.
V- Let us pray for our chief bishop: (name)
R- The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him
blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
V- Let us pray for our benefactors.
R- Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, to reward with
eternal life all those who do us good.
V- Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R- Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual
light shine upon them.
V- May they rest in peace.
R- Amen.
V- For our absent brethren.
R- Save Thy servants who hope in Thee, O my God.
V- Send them help, O Lord, from Thy holy place.
R- And from Sion protect them.
V- O Lord, hear my prayer.
R- And let my cry come unto Thee.
LET US PRAY:
O God, Whose property is always to have mercy and to spare,
receive our petition, that we and all Thy servants who are bound by the chain
of sin, may, by the compassion of Thy goodness, mercifully be absolved.
Hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy
supplicants, and pardon the sins of those who confess to Thee, that, in Thy
bounty, Thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.
In Thy clemency, O Lord, show Thy unspeakable mercy to us,
that so Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins and deliver us from the
punishments which we deserve for them.
O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified,
mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people, who make supplication to Thee, and
turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.
O Almighty and Eternal God, have mercy on Thy servant (N).,
our chief bishop, and direct him according to Thy clemency, in the way of
everlasting salvation, that, by Thy grace, he may desire the things that are
pleasing to Thee, and perform them with all his strength.
O God, from Whom are all holy desires, righteous counsels,
and just works, give to Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give;
that, our hearts being disposed to keep Thy commandments, and the fear of
enemies taken away, the times, by Thy protection, may be peaceful.
Inflame, O Lord, our reins and hearts with the fire of the
Holy Spirit; that we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a
clean heart.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to
the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that
through pious supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always
desired.
Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy holy
inspirations, and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance; that every prayer
and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be happily ended.
O almighty and eternal God, Who hast dominion over the
living and the dead, and art merciful to all who Thou foreknowest will be Thine
by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we have
purposed to offer our prayers, whether this present world still detains them in
the flesh or the next world hath already received them divested of their
bodies, may, by the intercession of Thy saints and the clemency of Thy
goodness, obtain pardon and full remission of all their sins.
Through Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R- Amen.
V- O Lord, hear my prayer.
R- And let my cry come unto Thee.
V- May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R- Amen.
V- And my the souls of the faithful departed through the
mercy of God, rest in peace.
R- Amen.
Thursday, 4 October 2018
Saint Cajetan August 7
Saint Cajetan, priest
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| St. Cajetan, priest |
August 7
From a letter by Saint Cajetan, priest
Christ
dwells in our hearts by Faith
I am a sinner and do not think much of myself; I have
recourse to the greatest servants of the Lord, that they may pray for you to the
blessed Christ and His Mother.
But do
not forget that all the saints
can not endear you to Christ
as much as you can
yourself.
It is entirely up to you.
If you want Christ to love you
and help you,
you must love Him
and always make an effort to please Him.
Do not waver in your purpose, because even if
all the saints and every single creature should abandon you, He will always be
near you, whatever your needs.
You know, of course, that we are pilgrims in this world, on
a journey to our true home in heaven.
The man who becomes proud loses his way and rushes to death. While living here we should strive to gain
eternal life. Yet or ourselves we cannot
achieve this since we have lost it through sin; but Jesus Christ ha recovered
it for us. For this reason we must
always be grateful to Him and love Him.
We must always obey Him, and as far as possible remain united with Him.
He has offered Himself
to be our food.
How wretched is the man
who knows nothing of
such a gift!
To us has been given the
opportunity
to receive Christ, son of the Virgin Mary,
and we refuse Him.
Woe to the man who does
not care enough to
receive Him.
My daughter, I want what is
good for myself; I beg the same for you.
Now there is no other way to bring this about than to ask the Virgin
Mary constantly to come to you with her glorious Son. Be bold!
Ask her to give you her Son, Who in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar
is truly food of your soul. Readily will
she give HI to you, still more readily will He come to you, giving you the
strength to make your way fearlessly through this dark wood. In it large numbers of our enemies lie in
wait, but they cannot reach us if they see us relying on such powerful help.
Nor, my child, must you receive Jesus Christ simply as a
means to further your own plans;
I want you to surrender to Him, that He may
welcome you and, as your divine Saviour, do to you and in you whatever He
wills.
This is what I want, this is what
I beg of you, this, as far as I can, is what I compel you to do.
taken from Liturgy of the Hours Weeks 18-34
Monday, 27 March 2017
Sins are Numbered - Tremble and Sin No More
"Preparation for Death: Considerations on Eternal Truths"
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
Consideration XVIII: The Number of Sins
“Because sentence is not speedily pronounced against evil,
the children of men commit evil without fear.” – Eccles. 8:11
FIRST POINT
The Measure is Determined for Each One
IF God instantly chastises the man who insults him, we
certainly should not see him so much outrages as we do at present. But because the Lord does not instantly
punish sinners, but waits for them, they are encouraged to offend him the
more. It is necessary to understand
that, though God waits and bears, he does not wait and bear forever.
It is the opinion of many holy Fathers – of St.
Basil, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. John Chrysostom,
St. Augustine, and others – that as God, according to the words of Scripture,
Wis. 11:21,
Thou hast ordered all things in measure,
and number and weight has
fixed for each
the number of his days, the degrees of health and talent
which
he will give to him,
so he has also determined the number of sins
that he will
pardon;
and when this number is completed,
he will pardon no more.
Eusebius of Caesarea says the same thing: “God
waits up to a certain number, and afterwards abandons;” and so speak also the
above-mentioned Fathers.
And these Fathers have not spoken at random, but according to
the sacred Scriptures. In one place the
Lord says that he restrained his vengeance against the Amorrithes, because the
number of their sins was not as yet filled up:
For as yet the iniquities of the Amorrithes (Amorites*) are not at the full (Gen
15:16). In another place he says: I will
not add any more to have mercy on the house of Israel (Os. I,6). Again he says: All the men who have tempted
Me ten times shall not see the land (Num. 15:22). Thou hast, says Job, sealed up my offences as
it were in a bag (Job 14:16).
Sinners keep no account of their sins; but God keeps an account of them, that when the harvest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is completed, he may take vengeance on them. Put ye in the sickles; for the harvest is ripe (Joel 3:13).
In another place he says: Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and
add not sin to sin (Sirach 5:5**). As if
he said: O sinner! You must tremble even on account of the sins which I have
forgiven you; for it you add another, if may happen that this new sin, along
with those which have been pardoned, may complete the number, then there will
be no more mercy for you. The Lord
waiteth patiently, that when the day of judgment shall come, he may punish them
in the fullness of their sins (2 Mac. 6:14).
God waits till the measure of iniquities is filled up, and then he
chastises the sinner.
Sinners keep no account of their sins; but God keeps an account of them, that when the harvest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is completed, he may take vengeance on them. Put ye in the sickles; for the harvest is ripe (Joel 3:13).
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| handwriting on the wall—Mene, Thecel, Phares |
Of such chastisements there are many examples in the Scriptures. Saul disobeyed God a second time, and was
abandoned. When he entreated Samuel to
intercede for him, saying: Bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me that
I may adore the Lord, Samuel answered: I
will not return with thee, because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and
the Lord hath rejected thee (1 Kings15:25).
We have also the example of Balthasar, who, after having profaned the vessels of the temple at table, saw a handwriting on the wall—Mene, Thecel, Phares. Daniel came, and in explaining the words, among other things, said: Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting (Dan. 5:27). By these words he gave the king to understand that in the balance of divine justice the weight of his sins had made the scale descend. The same night Balthasar, the Chaldean king, was killed.
There are some who spend their time in investigating the number of the stars, the number of the angels, or the number of years which each one will live.
My brother, it may be that God will pardon you no more after the first criminal pleasure which you indulge, after the first thought to which you consent, or after the first sin which you commit.
We have also the example of Balthasar, who, after having profaned the vessels of the temple at table, saw a handwriting on the wall—Mene, Thecel, Phares. Daniel came, and in explaining the words, among other things, said: Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting (Dan. 5:27). By these words he gave the king to understand that in the balance of divine justice the weight of his sins had made the scale descend. The same night Balthasar, the Chaldean king, was killed.
Oh ! how many
miserable sinners meet with a similar fate!
They live many years, multiplying sins;
but when the number is filled
up,
they are struck dead, and cast into hell!
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell
(Job 21:13).
There are some who spend their time in investigating the number of the stars, the number of the angels, or the number of years which each one will live.
But who can discover the number of sins
which
God will pardon each individual?
We
should, therefore, tremble.
My brother, it may be that God will pardon you no more after the first criminal pleasure which you indulge, after the first thought to which you consent, or after the first sin which you commit.
Behold me, O my God! at
Thy feet. I am that disgusting dog that
has so often eaten the forbidden apples, which I before detested. I do not deserve mercy: but, O My Redeemer! The Blood which Thou shed for me encourages
me and obliges me to hope for it.
How
often have I offended Thee and Thou hast pardoned me! I promised never more to offend Thee, and I
have afterward returned to the vomit: (Prov 26:11) and Thou has again pardoned
me! What do I wait for? Is it that Thou
mayest send me to hell, or that Thou mayest abandon me into the hand of my
sins, which would be a greater punishment than hell?
No, my God!
I wish to amend: and in order to be faithful to Thee, I will put all my confidence
in Thee, I will, whenever tempted, always and instantly have recourse to
Thee.
Hitherto I have trusted in my
promises and resolutions, and have neglected to recommend myself to Thee in my
temptations: this has been the cause of my ruin. Henceforth Thou shalt be my hope and my strength,
and thus I shall be able to do all things.
I can do all things in Him that strengthened me. (Phil
4:13). Give me grace then, O my Jesus,
through Thy merits, to recommend myself to Thee, and to ask Thy aid in my
wants. I love Thee, O Sovereign Good,
amiable above every good. I wish to love
Thee alone; but it is from Thee I must receive aid to love Thee.
O Mary, my Mother! Do thou also assist me by
thy intercession; keep me under thy protection, and make me always invoke thee
when I am tempted. Thy name shall be my
defence.
. . . the isolated
remnants of the Amorites, who in pre-Philistine and pre-Israelitish times had
occupied a large part of the country west of the Jordan.
Amorites.(From the pylon
of the Ramesseum.)
In Tosef., Shab. (vii.
[viii.] 23), and generally in post-Biblical literature, the Canaanites are
usually spoken of as the Amorites (compare Assumptio Mosis, xi. 16; B. M. 25b);
and they were characterized by R. Jose, the chronicler, as the most intractable
of all nations. To the apocryphal writers of the first and second pre-Christian
century they are the main representatives of heathen superstition, loathed as
idolaters, in whose ordinances Israelites may not walk (Lev. xviii. 3).
A special section of the
Talmud (Tosef., Shab. vi.-vii. [vii.-viii.]; Bab. Shab. 67a et seq.) is devoted
to the various superstitions called "The Ways of the Amorites."
According to the Book of Jubilees (xxix. [9] 11), "the former terrible
giants, the Rephaim, gave way to the Amorites, an evil and sinful people whose
wickedness surpasses that of any other, and whose life will be cut short on
earth." In the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (lx.) they are symbolized by
"black water" on account of "their black art, their witchcraft
and impure mysteries, by which they contaminated Israel in the time of the
Judges."
**Sirach 5:5-7 Sirach 5:5-7Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
5 Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:
6 And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on
the multitude of my sins.
7 For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon
sinners.
Friday, 8 July 2016
The Martyrdom of Peter and Paul
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| Christ with Sts. Peter and Paul |
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop 354-430 A.D.
The Martyrs realized what they taught
This day (Feast Day Peter and Paul, Apostles, June 29), has
been made holy by the passion of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul.
We are, therefore, not talking about some obscure
martyrs.
For their voice has gone forth to all the world,
and to the ends of the
earth their message.
These martyrs
realized what they taught: they pursued justice they confessed the truth, they
died for it.
Saint Peter, the first of the apostles and a fervent lover
of Christ, merited to hear these words: I
say to you that you are Peter, for he had said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then Christ said, I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
Church.
On this rock I will build
the faith that you now confess, and on your words: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God, I will build my Church.
For you are Peter,
and the name Peter comes
from petra, the word for “rock”,
and
not vice versa.
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| I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. |
“Peter” comes, therefore,
from petra, just as
“Christian” comes
from Christ.
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| To you I shall give the keys of the kingdom of heaven |
As you are aware, Jesus chose His disciples before His
passion and called them apostles; and among these almost everywhere Peter alone
deserved to represent the entire Church.
And because of that role which he alone had, he merited to hear the
words: To you I shall give the keys of
the kingdom of heaven.
For it was
not one man who received the keys, but the entire Church considered as
one. Now insofar as he represented the
unity and universality of the Church, Peter’s pre-eminence is clear from the
words: To you I give, for what was
given was given to all.
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| Peter feed My sheep |
For the face
that it was the Church that received the keys of the kingdom of God is clear
from what the Lord says elsewhere to all the apostles: Receive the Holy Spirit, adding immediately, whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and whose sins you retain,
they are retained.
Rightly then did the Lord after His resurrection entrust
Peter with the feeding of his sheep. Yet
he was not the only disciple to merit the feeding of the Lord’s sheep; but
Christ in speaking only to one suggests the unity of all;
and so He speaks to
Peter,
because Peter is first among the apostles.
Therefore do not be disheartened, Peter,
reply once, reply twice, reply a third time. The triple confession of your love
is to regain what was lost three times by your fear. You must lose three times what you bound
three times; untie by love that which your fear bound. Once, and again, and a third time did the
Lord entrust his sheep to Peter.
Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were
one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one.
Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us
by the apostle’s blood.
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| Sts. Peter and Paul |
Let us embrace
what they believed,
their life, their labors, their sufferings,
their preaching
and their confession of faith.
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