29th June 2014 - Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (a.k.a. Monks of Moyross) (Part 2) - Feast of St Peter & St Paul

On this weeks programme we have the second part of our interview with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal about their life and ministry. We have our reflection on the Sunday gospel which this week is the gospel of the feast of St Peter & St Paul.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks programme HERE. 
 
Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Part 2)
 

This week we have the second part of our interview with the Franciscans Friars of the Renewal and this week learn more about the community and their experiences. John has an interview in St Patricks Friary in Moyross with Fr Charles and other members of the community.

 
You can read more about the friars including the first part of this series of interviews HERE.
 
You can listen to the interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.
 
 
Gospel - Matthew 16:13-19 
 

"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.""

 
Reflections on this weeks gospel:
 
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans - Beloved Criminals
Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
 
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
 

Today we mark the feast day of St Peter and St Paul - the two great patrons of the Church of Rome. In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and Paul: “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 apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”

From CatholicCultre.org:

Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel. St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles. In the second and third centuries the Roman Church already stood pre-eminent by reason of her apostolicity, the infallible truth of her teaching and her two great figures, Sts. Peter and Paul.

You read more about the feast day at:
 
AmericanCatholic.org
Domincans Interactive
Catholic News Agency
Blue Eyed Ennis - 2012 post; 2013 post
SS102fm previous blog posts on the feast - here and here
 
Liturgical odds and ends
 
Liturgy of the Hours - 13th week in ordinary time; Psalter week 1
 
Saints of the week
 
June 30th - First Martyrs of the Church of Rome
July 1st - St Oliver Plunket (martyr)
July 2nd - Saint Marcia of Campania
July 3rd - St Thomas (apostle)
July 4th - St Elizabeth of Portugal
July 5th - St Anthony Zaccaria

Tu es Petrus (You are Peter)

In what can only be described as another unique event under this Franciscan pontificate, today the Catholic faithful got a chance to glimpse the relics of the prince of apostles, the fisherman of Galilee, the first pope and vicar of Christ - St Peter.

In a tender moment during the proclamation of the Creed at the Mass marking the close of the Year of Faith, St Peter's 266th successor tenderly cradled the reliquary.

While pious tradition had always held that the altar of St Peter's basilica was built on the tomb of the apostle, a tomb with Greek graffeti proclaiming it as the tomb of Peter was uncovered during excavations under St Peter's in the 1950's. While the archelogical evidence is said to be inconclusive as St Thomas Aquinas noted “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

Fr James Martin SJ makes the point on his Facebook page that many scholars dismissed the idea as mere "pious tradition." Many "merely legendary" religious sites, and places of pilgrimage, often turn out to have a basis in fact. The reason is simple: It is human nature to remember places associated with important events. Sites associated with the life of Jesus (in the Holy Land) and with the lives of the saints (in Rome and in other places) would have been remembered by witnesses, and then passed down to later generations, who would treasure that information and venerate the sites. Remember too that in antiquity people didn't move around much; families would rooted to one place for generations, and so when early Christians visited, say, Capernaum, they would have been shown where St. Peter made his home. To take another example, the Pool of Bethesda, in Jerusalem--where Jesus heals a lame man, long thought to be an "allegory," was discovered in the late 19th century, and was found by archaeologists to have "five porticoes," precisely as the Gospel of John had described. So we need to be careful what we dismiss as only "legendary" or "pious tradition."

 

 

Rocco over at Whispers has reflective coverage including the full text of the popes homily.

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 Messiah, 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.”

 



 

Tu es Petrus
et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam
et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam.
Et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum.

Quodcumque ligaveris super terram, erit ligatum et in caelis,
et quodcumque solveris super terram, erit solutum et in caelis.
Et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum

 

 

You are Peter,
And upon this Rock I will build My Church:
and the gates of hell shall not overcome it.
And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you release upon earth shall be released in heaven,
and I will give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven.

 

 

You can read the homily HERE and the Angelous message HERE.

Vatican will display relics of St. Peter for first time ever, to mark end of the Year of Faith

The Vatican announced that, for the first time in history, it will publicly display the relics of St. Peter, the very first Pope and original Bishop of Rome. It'll be a unique exhibit to mark the conclusion of the Year of Faith. Msgr. Rino Fisichella, president for the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, made the announcement in an editorial published in the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. The Apostle's remains will leave the Vatican Grotto for the celebrations, but exact details are not yet clear.

The tomb of St. Peter, located under the altar of the Vatican basilica, was unearthed during excavations in the mid-20the century. In 1968, after extensive research and testing, Pope Paul VI announced that relics of St. Peter had been identified. These relics have been kept in the grotto of the basilica, and never placed on public display.

The Year of Faith concludes on November 24, the feast of Christ the King. On November 21, Pope Francis will visit a cloistered monastery in Rome. On the 23, he will meet with cathechumens inside St. Peter's Basilica. The Year of Faith will conclude on Sunday, the 24th, with the Pope celebrating Mass at St. Peter's Square

29th June - Solemnity of St Peter and Paul - Apostles

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being the anniversary either of their death or of the translation of their relics.

 

Readings of the Mass of the day

From the Office of Readings for the Solemnity of St Peter & Paul (Apostles)   From a sermon by Saint Augustine

The martyrs had seen what they proclaimed

This day has been consecrated for us by the martyrdom of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul. It is not some obscure martyrs we are talking about. Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. These martyrs had seen what they proclaimed, they pursued justice by confessing the truth, by dying for the truth. 

The blessed Peter, the first of the Apostles, the ardent lover of Christ, who was found worthy to hear, And I say to you, that you are Peter. He himself, you see, had just said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ said to him, And I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. Upon this rock I will build the faith you have just confessed. Upon your words, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, I will build my Church; because you are Peter. Peter comes from petra, meaning a rock. Peter, “Rocky,” from “rock”; not “rock” from “Rocky.” Peter comes from the word for a rock in exactly the same way as the name Christian comes from Christ. 

Before his passion the Lord Jesus, as you know, chose those disciples of his whom he called apostles. Among these it was only Peter who almost everywhere was given the privilege of representing the whole Church. It was in the person of the whole Church, which he alone represented, that he was privileged to hear, To you will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. After all, it is not just one man that received these keys, but the Church in its unity. So this is the reason for Peter’s acknowledged pre-eminence, that he stood for the Church’s universality and unity, when he was told, To you I am entrusting, what has in fact been entrusted to all. To show you that it is the Church which has received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, listen to what the Lord says in another place to all his apostles: Receive the Holy Spirit; and immediately afterwards, Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven them; whose sins you retain, they will be retained. 

Quite rightly, too, did the Lord after his resurrection entrust his sheep to Peter to be fed. It is not, you see, that he alone among the disciples was fit to feed the Lord’s sheep; but when Christ speaks to one man, unity is being commended to us. And he first speaks to Peter, because Peter is the first among the apostles. Do not be sad, Apostle. Answer once, answer again, answer a third time. Let confession conquer three times with love, because self-assurance was conquered three times by fear. What you had bound three times must be loosed three times. Loose through love what you had bound through fear. And for all that, the Lord once, and again, and a third time, entrusted his sheep to Peter.
There is one day for the passion of two apostles. But these two also were as one; although they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, Paul followed. We are celebrating a feast day, consecrated for us by the blood of the apostles. Let us love their faith, their lives, their labours, their sufferings, their confession of faith, their preaching.

Catholicculture.org has more on the feast day HERE.

"Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel.

St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles. In the second and third centuries the Roman Church already stood pre-eminent by reason of her apostolicity, the infallible truth of her teaching and her two great figures, Sts. Peter and Paul."

Phil over at Blue Eyed Ennis has  a great post about the day HERE (2013) and last years posts (2012) is available HERE with links, videos and suggested readings about these pillars of the church.



In Rome, the Solemnity is also the day for the imposition of the pallium on the newly appointed archbishops. The pallium is a white scarf made of wool that carries six black crosses, it's meant to symbolize each bishop's unity with the pope. At the beginning of the Mass each pallium is laid over the tomb of St. Peter and then handed to the pope before being presented.




It is traditional for representatives of the other christian churches to attend the patronal feast of the See of Rome particularly the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Feast of the Chair of St Peter - Feb 22

Yesterday was the feast of the Chair of St Peter. Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston gave an excellent homily on the feast which is well worth listening to in its entirety.

Quote of the piece " Peter denied Christ...not to a soldier with a knife but a waitress with an attitude".

A reminder if needed that it is not to Peter the man (or his successors) to whom we owe blind allegience but rather to the Master who forgave him and gave him the role to "feed my sheep".

 

 

Rocco over at Whispers in the Loggia reminds us that although A Pope resigns...the Chair remains.

 

He also gives us an English translation of the audience talk B16 gave on this day in 2006, the first 22 February after his election as the 265th pontiff.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The Latin liturgy celebrates today the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. It comes from a very ancient tradition, chronicled at Rome from the end of the 4th century, which renders thanks to God for the mission entrusted to the Apostle Peter and to his successors. The "cathedra," literally, is the fixed seat of the Bishop, found in the mother church in a diocese, which for this reason is called "cathedral," and is the symbol of the authority of the Bishop and, in particular, of his "magisterium," the evangelical teaching which he, as a successor of the Apostles, is called to maintain and pass on to the Christian community. When the Bishop takes possession of the particular Church entrusted to him, he, wearing the mitre and carrying the pastoral staff, is seated in the cathedra. From that seat he will guide, as teacher and pastor, the path of the faithful in faith, in hope and in love.

What was, then, the "cathedra" of St. Peter? Chosen by Christ as the "rock" on which the Church was built, he began his ministry in Jerusalem, after the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. The first "see" of the Church was the Cenacle, and it's likely that in that room, where also Mary, the mother of Jesus, prayed together with the disciples, a special place was reserved for Simon Peter. Successively, the see of Peter became Antioch, a city situated on the Oronte River, in Syria, today in Turkey, in that time the third metropolis of the Roman empire after Rome and Alexandria in Egypt. From that city, evangalized by Barnabas and Paul, where "for the first time the disciples were called Christians" (Acts 11:26), where the name Christian was born for us, Peter was the first bishop, so that the Roman Martyrology, before the reform of the calendar, also provided for a specific celebration of the Chair of Peter at Antioch. From there, Providence brought Peter to Rome. Therefore we have the road from Jerusalem, the newborn Church, to Antioch, the first center of the Church recounted by the Pagans and still united with the Church which proceeded from the Jews. Then Peter came to Rome, center of the Empire, symbol of the "Orbis" -- the "Urbs" [city] which expresses the "Orbis" [world] of the earth -- where he concluded with his martyrdom his course in the service of the Gospel. For this, the see of Rome, which received the greatest honor, is also accorded the honors entrusted by Christ to Peter to be at the service of all the particular Churches for the building up and the unity of the entire People of God.

The see of Rome, after this movement of St. Peter, became recognized as that of the successor of Peter, and the "cathedra" of its bishop represented that of the Apostle charged by Christ to feed his flock. This is attested to by the most ancient Fathers of the Church, for example St. Iraneus, bishop of Lyon, but living in Asia Minor, who in his treatise Against heresies described the Church of Rome as "the greatest and most ancient, known of all;... founded and built at Rome by the two most glorious apostles Peter and Paul"; and then: "With this Church, for its outstanding superiority, must be accorded to it the Church universal, the faithful in every place" (III, 3, 2-3). Tertullian, a little later, for his part, affirms: "How blessed is this Church of Rome! For it the apostles poured out, with their blood, the whole of doctrine." The chair of the Bishop of Rome represents, therefore, not only its service to the Roman community, but its mission of watching over the entire People of God.

To celebrate the "Cathedra" of Peter, as we do today, means, then, to attribute to it a strong spiritual significance and to recognize it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the good and eternal Shepherd, who wishes to gather the entire Church and guide it along the way of salvation. Among the many testimonies of the Fathers, I'd like to report that of St. Jerome, who wrote in a letter of his to the Bishop of Rome, is particularly interesting because it makes an explicit reference to the "chair" of Peter, presented it as the sure grounding of truth and of peace. As Jerome wrote: "I decided to consult the chair of Peter, where is found that faith which the mouth of an Apostle exalted; I come then to ask nourishment for my soul, where once was received the garment of Christ. I don't follow a primate other than Christ; for this reason, I place myself in communion with your blessedness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that on this rock is built the Church" (Letters I, 15, 1-2).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica, as you know, can be found the monument to the Chair of the Apostle, Bernini's eldest work, realized in the form of a great bronze throne, held up by statues of four Doctors of the Church, two of the west, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, two of the east, St. John Chrysostom and St. Athanasius. I invite you to stand in front of this suggested work, which today is probably decorated admirably by many candles, and pray in a particular way for the ministry which God has entrusted to me. Raising our gaze to the alabaster window which opens over the Chair, invoking the Holy Spirit, may he always sustain with his light and strength my daily service to all the Church.



Who were St Peter and St Paul? - Benedict XVI

Today’s catechesis focuses on Saint Paul’s conversion. In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke recounts for us the dramatic episode on the road to Damascus which transformed Paul from a fierce persecutor of the Church into a zealous evangelizer.

In his own letters, Paul describes his experience not so much in terms of a conversion, but as a call to apostleship and a commission to preach the Gospel.

In the first instance, this was an encounter not with concepts or ideas but with the person of Jesus himself. In fact, Paul met not only the historical Jesus of the past, but the living Christ who revealed himself as the one Saviour and Lord. Similarly, the ultimate source of our own conversion lies neither in esoteric philosophical theories nor abstract moral codes, but in Christ and his Gospel.

He alone defines our identity as Christians, since in him we discover the ultimate meaning of our lives. Paul, because Christ had made him his own (cf. Phil 3:12), could not help but preach the Good News he had received (cf. 1 Cor 9:16). So it is with us. Transfixed by the greatness of our Saviour, we – like Saint Paul – cannot help but speak of him to others. May we always do so with joyful conviction!

(General Audience. September 3, 2008)

"Today, I wish to focus again on the Apostle Peter. Christ’s teachings, like all his behaviour, were difficult to accept. Many withdrew and went their separate ways. Yet, when Jesus questioned the Twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we believe … that you are the Holy One of God."

In this way, Peter initiates the Church’s Christological confession of faith. Though incomplete, his faith was nevertheless authentic and open – not a faith in something, but in someone; in Christ.

Peter was not, however, free of human weakness, and in time he too betrays the Master.

The school of faith, then, is not a triumphal march but a journey marked daily by suffering and love, trials and faithfulness. Peter knew the humiliation of denial, and for this he wept bitterly. But having learned his own nothingness, he was then ready for his mission.

That mission, made possible by our Lord’s acceptance of Peter’s fragile love and launched with the words "Follow me", is marked with hope: notwithstanding his infidelity, Peter knows the Risen Lord is at his side. His long journey in faith, constantly open to the Spirit of Jesus, renders him a credible witness; one who knows the true joy that lies in Christ, the way of salvation!"

(From the General Audience of May 24, 2006)

29th June 2012 - Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul - An Ecumenical Event

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being the anniversary either of their death or of the translation of their relics.

Catholicculture.org has more on the feast day HERE.

"Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel.


St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles. In the second and third centuries the Roman Church already stood pre-eminent by reason of her apostolicity, the infallible truth of her teaching and her two great figures, Sts. Peter and Paul."

Phil over at Blue Eyed Ennis has a great post about the feast day with links, videos and suggested readings about these pillars of the church.



In Rome, the Solemnity is also the day for the imposition of the pallium on the newly appointed archbishops. The pallium is a white scarf made of wool that carries six black crosses, it's meant to symbolize each bishop's unity with the pope. At the beginning of the Mass each pallium is laid over the tomb of St. Peter and then handed to the pope before being presented. The full list of archbishops receiving the pallium this year is available here.

This year as well, there is an ecumenical theme to this celebration associated with the See of Rome. While it is traditional for representatives of the other christian churches to attend the patronal feast of the See of Rome particularily the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, this year following on from the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to England, the world famous Westminster Abbey choir is here in the Vatican to sing alongside the Sistine Chapel choir at the Papal Mass for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on Friday morning. In issuing the invitation, Pope Benedict stressed that such an event may serve to encourage the enriching mutual exchange of gifts between the two liturgical and cultural traditions. Further reports about the visit of the choir are available from Vatican radio HERE and HERE.



Also, for the current successor of St Peter, it is a special feast day as it is the anniversary of the ordination to the priesthood of Joseph Ratzinger, 61 years ago this year. Ad multos annos!