Matthew 16: 13-19
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Dawg's Thought:
Today's prayer intention - for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI, successor of St. Peter
The Father chose St. Peter to lead The Church. With every successor after St. Peter, the words of Christ still hold true today: the gates of the netherworld have not prevailed against the Church.
The Father chose St. Paul to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles and to the West. With all the evil he had done to early Christians by persecuting them, the gates of the netherworld could not bring the Church down.
After all is said and done, the denials of St. Peter and the persecutions by St. Paul could not bring the Church down. In fact, it was the opposite: in their weakness, the helped build up Christ's Bride - The Church.
With the many times that I have denied Christ through my actions, the Church still stands, and I still have the opportunity to be reconciled to God and to my neighbor. With the many times that I have persecuted Christ through my inaction, the Church still stands and I still have the opportunity to act in true justice for my God and my neighbor.
Today we celebrate two great Saints who have walked the path that we all have walked, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against The Church.
Take care and God Bless.
|
