"TO YOU, I WILL GIVE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"
Simon Peter did nothing special to attract Jesus’ attention and deserve “preferential treatment.” He only put his fishing boat at the disposal of the Master, and accepted to carry out Jesus’ questionable instruction to cast the nets again when the sun was already high on the horizon – a most unlikely hour for a good catch. (See Lk 5:4f.) Yet Jesus loved him with a special love. There were reasons for that . . .
Simon was a simple, unschooled fisherman. He was well aware of all his limitations and moral failures. (See Lk 5:8.) But when the crucial moment came to express his opinion on Jesus, he showed a unique perceptiveness which outshone all others. He had no doubt: Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).
The learned and the clever had formed their opinion about the Christ from what they had studied or heard or seen with their material eyes. Their answers could only be conjectural. They were all inadequate. But Simon’s deep conviction – his faith – was deeply rooted in another kind of knowledge: Divine Revelation. It was God Himself who had implanted that certitude in him. Hence, Jesus’ reaction: “Blest are you, Simon! . . . No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Mt 16:17).
This fisherman from Bethsaida was the object of the Father’s special love. God knew him through and through: his weakness as well as his generosity and sincerity. God had plans for him. He who put the right answer on his lips, would still enlighten him, time and time again, whenever needed for the good of His Church.
Peter would outlive his Master only by thirty years, but the mission of being “rock” and steersman would outlive the fisherman from Galilee and would last till the end of time. It would live on in his successors, regardless of their personal worth, century after century. Peter’s role would be fulfilled by others, called by different given names, but always bearing the same root name of “Peter/Rock.”
On each of them, as on the fisherman from Bethsaida Jesus has been conferring His authority to bind and loose, and the strength and wisdom needed to steer the fragile but unsinkable boat of the Church. Ever assailed by hell’s fury, this Church is ever victorious over storms and reefs, as it is steered by the God-steadied hand of Peter’s successors.
As members of the Catholic Church – the Church established by Jesus Christ, and by Him entrusted to the visible stewardship of Peter and his successors – we should, first of all, feel grateful to the Lord for having given us a visible leader who guides us with the authority and power received from Christ. This is no small advantage, in the cacophony of so many discordant voices which create uncertainty and confusion, all that we have to do is to listen to the voice of Peter’s successor and act on it, knowing that the Lord constantly guides the Pope and preserves him from committing errors in matters of faith and morals.
In the light of this premise, it is sadly surprising to meet self-styled Catholics who dare to take positions in the doctrinal or moral fields that are not in agreement with the teaching of the Holy Father. A real Catholic has to be a loyal follower of the Supreme Shepherd assigned by Jesus Christ. This may not be so easy, sometimes. But when all is said and done, we have to remember that it was to Peter (and not to individual believers) that Jesus said, “To you (thee!) I will give the keys of 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.” (Mt 16:19)
Nor should we reduce our duties toward the Pope to loyalty and obedience. He is our spiritual Father, our “Gentle Christ on earth,” as St. Catherine of Sienna called him. As such, we must love him affectionately and sincerely. And we must, likewise, pray for him, as we pray for the people most dear to us. So heavy a burden has been placed on his shoulders. He needs all the help he can get, and prayer is the most effective help when offered with living faith and a loving heart.
Simon was a simple, unschooled fisherman. He was well aware of all his limitations and moral failures. (See Lk 5:8.) But when the crucial moment came to express his opinion on Jesus, he showed a unique perceptiveness which outshone all others. He had no doubt: Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).
The learned and the clever had formed their opinion about the Christ from what they had studied or heard or seen with their material eyes. Their answers could only be conjectural. They were all inadequate. But Simon’s deep conviction – his faith – was deeply rooted in another kind of knowledge: Divine Revelation. It was God Himself who had implanted that certitude in him. Hence, Jesus’ reaction: “Blest are you, Simon! . . . No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Mt 16:17).
This fisherman from Bethsaida was the object of the Father’s special love. God knew him through and through: his weakness as well as his generosity and sincerity. God had plans for him. He who put the right answer on his lips, would still enlighten him, time and time again, whenever needed for the good of His Church.
Peter would outlive his Master only by thirty years, but the mission of being “rock” and steersman would outlive the fisherman from Galilee and would last till the end of time. It would live on in his successors, regardless of their personal worth, century after century. Peter’s role would be fulfilled by others, called by different given names, but always bearing the same root name of “Peter/Rock.”
On each of them, as on the fisherman from Bethsaida Jesus has been conferring His authority to bind and loose, and the strength and wisdom needed to steer the fragile but unsinkable boat of the Church. Ever assailed by hell’s fury, this Church is ever victorious over storms and reefs, as it is steered by the God-steadied hand of Peter’s successors.
As members of the Catholic Church – the Church established by Jesus Christ, and by Him entrusted to the visible stewardship of Peter and his successors – we should, first of all, feel grateful to the Lord for having given us a visible leader who guides us with the authority and power received from Christ. This is no small advantage, in the cacophony of so many discordant voices which create uncertainty and confusion, all that we have to do is to listen to the voice of Peter’s successor and act on it, knowing that the Lord constantly guides the Pope and preserves him from committing errors in matters of faith and morals.
In the light of this premise, it is sadly surprising to meet self-styled Catholics who dare to take positions in the doctrinal or moral fields that are not in agreement with the teaching of the Holy Father. A real Catholic has to be a loyal follower of the Supreme Shepherd assigned by Jesus Christ. This may not be so easy, sometimes. But when all is said and done, we have to remember that it was to Peter (and not to individual believers) that Jesus said, “To you (thee!) I will give the keys of 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.” (Mt 16:19)
Nor should we reduce our duties toward the Pope to loyalty and obedience. He is our spiritual Father, our “Gentle Christ on earth,” as St. Catherine of Sienna called him. As such, we must love him affectionately and sincerely. And we must, likewise, pray for him, as we pray for the people most dear to us. So heavy a burden has been placed on his shoulders. He needs all the help he can get, and prayer is the most effective help when offered with living faith and a loving heart.
