20160629 SUPPORTING OUR HOLY FATHER’S VISION OF MISSIONARY
DISCIPLESHIP
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First reading
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Acts 12:1-11 ©
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King Herod started
persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of
John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as
well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison,
assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant
to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was
under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.
On the
night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers,
fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to
the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was
filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said
‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put
on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap
your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that
what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a
vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached
the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went
through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the
angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is
all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from
Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 33:2-9 ©
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From all my
terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the
Lord rescues those who revere him.
I will bless the Lord
at all times,
his
praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul
shall make its boast.
The
humble shall hear and be glad.
From all my
terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the
Lord rescues those who revere him.
Glorify the Lord with
me.
Together
let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and
he answered me;
from all
my terrors he set me free.
From all my
terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the
Lord rescues those who revere him.
Look towards him and
be radiant;
let your
faces not be abashed.
This poor man called,
the Lord heard him
and
rescued him from all his distress.
From all my
terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the
Lord rescues those who revere him.
The angel of the Lord
is encamped
around
those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that
the Lord is good.
He is
happy who seeks refuge in him.
From all my
terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the
Lord rescues those who revere him.
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Second reading
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2 Timothy
4:6-8,17-18 ©
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My life is already
being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I
have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I
have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness
reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that
Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.
The Lord
stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be
proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s
mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me
safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt16:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my church.
And the gates of the
underworld can never hold out against it.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 16:13-19
©
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When Jesus came to
the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do
people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist,
some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said
‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said
‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a
happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my
Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will
build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth
shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be
considered loosed in heaven.’
SUPPORTING
OUR HOLY FATHER’S VISION OF MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ Acts 12: 1-11;
Ps 33:2-9; 2 Tim 4, 6-8. 17-18; Mt 16, 13-19 ]
Our Holy Father, Pope
Francis is bringing much needed renewal to the Church and the world.
Indeed, he is truly visionary and courageous. He has undertaken radical
reforms in the Church, especially the Curia and the different Church organs.
He has given a new face to the papacy by his simplicity, ordinariness and
compassion, especially for the poor and the ordinary people. He is also very
much in touch with the struggles of ordinary Catholics, whether in family life,
in marriage and especially those who are divorced. He feels with
those with a different sexual orientation, the marginalized and the
outcast. He has also made radical changes in the liturgy to make it
simpler and connected to life. He reaches out beyond the Church to peoples from
other Christian communions and other religions as well. His speeches and
homilies are straight from the heart and not couched in nice political
language. Indeed, because of his authenticity and genuine love for all,
many outside the Catholic Church admire him and find him truly the face of
Christ for them. Because of him, the Church has become more missionary
and evangelical and he has changed the image of a cold, indifferent and
outdated Church fazed by scandals, especially pedophilia to a Church of compassion
and mercy.
Indeed, Pope Francis shows
himself to be a true shepherd of the flock of Christ and a true missionary in
bringing Christ to all, especially the poor and the marginalized. He
seeks to exercise both roles by modelling his life after St Peter and St
Paul. St Peter is the symbol of the call to be a shepherd to the flock of
Christ, whereas St Paul reminds us of our missionary call to proclaim Christ to
the earth. Every Pope, bishop and priest and lay person is also called to
be both a shepherd and a missionary. The mission of the Church consists
of both ad intra and ad extra; within, as we renew ourselves in the faith and
without, by being evangelical minded. Pope Francis seeks to bring both
these aspects into his ministry by being the shepherd of the universal Church
by governance and teaching on one hand, and on the other hand, by being
creative and proactive in reaching out to those who have left the Church, those
outside the Church and those who are unreached. And he is doing this at the
risk of being misunderstood and opposed by his own.
What should our attitude be
with respect to the changes that Pope Francis is undertaking for the
Church? What if some of us cannot agree with him and feel confused with
the developments in the Church, especially with regard to time immemorial
doctrines and practices, particularly liturgical practices? Indeed, for
those of us who are happy with the changes, they have all but praise for him
and thanksgiving to God. But for those who sincerely object to the innovations
and initiatives of our Holy Father, particularly in seeking to make the faith
more real and relevant in the lives of our people, especially those who feel
ostracized by the Church, how should we handle this dilemma?
The real question at the
end of the day is: do you have faith in St Peter and his successors, the
college of bishops, the magisterium? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit
that is promised to the Church guarantees the infallibility of the teaching of
the Church? At the end of the day, it is a matter of faith, not logic or
understanding, or even finding consensus. As the Vicar of Christ and the
pastor of the universal Church, the Holy Father has full and supreme authority
over the Church. When he teaches in matters of faith and morals, we must
give a religious assent to His teachings; if ex cathedra, submission in faith;
and if ordinary teaching, the submission of the intellect and will. (Cf
LG 22,25) Precisely, in matters of faith, reason is not sufficient
to establish but revelation is required. Otherwise, faith is reduced to
mere reason alone.
The scripture readings of
today assure us that St Peter is under the protection of our Lord Jesus
Christ. In the first reading, we read how St Peter was miraculously
released from jail by an angel who could simply be a messenger of the
Lord. At first he thought it was a dream, but later when Peter came to
himself, he said, “Now I know it is all true. The Lord really did send his
angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so
certain would happen to me.”
In the gospel too, we read
how the Lord assured St Peter of divine assistance. In the first place,
his declaration that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” is
through divine revelation given to him. The Lord said, “Simon son of Jonah, you
are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you
but my Father in heaven.” Furthermore, the Lord entrusted St Peter with
the authority to govern the Church of Christ. He said, “You are Peter and
on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never
hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
Not only St Peter but He also protects His apostles. St Paul too
experienced God’s protection when he recounted, “The Lord stood by me and gave
me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the
pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
Based on this promise of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church has consistently professed the supreme
teaching authority of St Peter and his successors throughout the
ages. His teaching when declared ex cathedra is to be accepted in
faith; and when taught ordinarily, it must be accepted with the religious
submission of the intellect and will.
Today, when we celebrate
the re-dedication of the Church of Sts Peter and Paul, we want to reaffirm our
faith in Christ according to the mind of the Church as declared on our behalf
by St Peter. The rock that Jesus spoke about is both St Peter as the rock
on which His Church is built, that is, under His guidance. But it is also
a reference to the faith of Peter in Christ as the Christ, the Son of the
Living God. Unless, we make St Peter’s faith our own, both in mind and in
heart, we cannot find salvation. We too must be able to declare
personally that Christ is the Son of God. It is not enough therefore
simply to rely on the faith of St Peter or the Church but it must also be our
own. Without this faith in Christ as the Son of God, we cannot
profess our faith in the teaching of the Holy Father as well.
But this personal faith in
Christ as the Son of God has its implications. All of us are called to
nurture the faith of those Catholics under our care. We are called to
look after the faith of our loved ones, especially our young. The reason
why the faith of many of our Catholics is weak is because many are poorly
instructed in their faith. Doctrinally, they know so little and
spiritually, they do not read the Word of God or share the Word of God with
their brothers and sisters. Their faith in Christ at most is an
intellectual faith but not the personal faith demanded of Christ when He asked
the disciples the question, “Who do you say I am?” We cannot be missionary minded
unless we take our discipleship seriously.
At the same time, this
feast also reminds us that it is not sufficient just to look into the interests
of the Catholic community; we are called to be like St Paul, sharing this faith
with the whole world. His whole life was given for the spread of
the gospel, especially to those who do not know him. He wrote, “As for
me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come
for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race
to the finish.” With St Paul, we are reminded that the Church does not
exist for herself but for the world. So whilst it is important to follow
St Peter in shepherding our Catholics and looking after our Catholic community,
in our parish and in the diocese, we must not forget the missionary thrust of
the Church. As Pope Francis often reminds us, we are always missionary
disciples. We need to look after our faith and strengthen our faith, but
this is for the sake of the mission.
When we
celebrate this feast of Ss Peter and Paul, we must never forget that we are
called to imitate both St Peter and St Paul. With St Peter, we must take
part in the life of the community, serving the community and learning from each
other so that we can deepen our faith in the Lord. We must never forget
that we need to deepen our faith each day so that we can arrive at the faith of
St Peter, making his faith our own personal conviction. So it is not
enough to serve in the ministry but we need to be disciples of Christ through
prayer, study and fellowship. With St Paul, let us be missionaries and
evangelists for Christ so that the world will know Him as Saviour and
Lord. We need to actively reach out beyond our community and bring Christ
to the world directly or indirectly through works of mercy and charity.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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