20190629
ASSURANCE
OF DIVINE PROTECTION FOR HIS BESIEGED CHURCH
29 JUNE, 2019,
Saturday, Sts Peter and Paul, Apostles
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First reading
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Acts 12:1-11 ©
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'Now I know the Lord really did save me
from Herod'
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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(34):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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All there is to come now is the crown of
righteousness reserved for me
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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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You are Peter and on this rock I will
build my Church
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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.’
ASSURANCE OF
DIVINE PROTECTION FOR HIS BESIEGED CHURCH
Today, the Church is
going through a very difficult period of her history. She is facing hostility from without
and division from within. From without, she is attacked by the world for
her fidelity to the teachings of the gospel and our Lord Jesus Christ,
particularly in the areas of morality and, more specifically, with respect to
the Church’s position on marriage, the family, human sexuality, abortion,
euthanasia and bioethics. Besides moral issues, the Church has to contend with
moral relativism, materialism, consumerism and secularism. Within the
Church, there is division on the pastoral approach towards these contemporary
issues facing our people. There is growing tension between the
traditionalists and the liberals with respect to theological, moral and
liturgical issues. Even the sacred authority of the Church, the Pope and
bishops are being challenged.
Indeed, the persecution of King
Herod in today’s first reading takes new forms in our times. We read
how “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.” Notable too was that he carried these
out during the Festival of the Unleavened Bread. This was because he
wanted to gain political advantage by pleasing the Jews who came for the
week-long celebration. In this way, he could gain their support and
popularity.
For political gains too,
world leaders are bending to the demands of the people. Few leaders today have the courage
to implement policies that are right even though unpopular. Most
would do what gives them political mileage so that they could remain in
office. This is true even for religious leaders. Many religious
leaders also lack the fortitude to stand up for their beliefs and do the right
thing for fear of opposition and suffering. What we need are leaders who
have the courage to do what is right and truly good for the people.
We take consolation from
the two pillars of faith from the early Church, whose feasts we are celebrating
today. St
Peter, the head of the apostolic college, the Vicar of Christ of the Universal
Church, and St Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles were under much persecution
steering the primitive Church against the onslaught of their enemies too,
especially from the Jews and the Romans.
We are invited to follow
their examples, not only in their apostolic zeal but also in their fidelity to
Christ and the gospel. St
Peter was faithful right through till his martyrdom in Rome. St Paul too
was executed in Rome. Before his death, St Paul wrote to Timothy, “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.”
What does it take for us
to stand firm in the Lord and in our beliefs? Firstly, we need to have
the faith of St Peter. Jesus
declared, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates
of the underworld can never hold out against it.” What is this
rock if not faith in Jesus as the Son of the Living God? On this
faith, we stand tall. With this faith, we can overcome all trials in
life. If we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then we can have
confidence that He will protect His Church.
This faith of St Peter
in the identity of Christ is given through revelation. Jesus told Peter, “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.” Indeed, Catholics believe that reason
needs to be supplemented by faith. Without faith, we will not be able to
arrive at the supernatural truths. But many of us do not believe in
divine truths. We trust our own judgement of what is right and
wrong. We pay lip service to the faith that the bible is the inspired
Word of God. This is because we are selective in reading and believing in
what the bible says. We do not accept all that the Word of God
teaches. We need to pray for the gift of faith.
This rock also refers to
the office of St Peter who
has been given the authority to keep the Church firm in the faith. Hence,
following the declaration, the Lord added, “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.” Truly, the Church is protected by Christ. Just before He
departed from this world at Pentecost, He assured the apostles that He will be
with the Church until the end of the world. For this reason, Catholics
not only respect the Holy Father but also give unwavering support and obedience
to him in matters of faith and morals. We recognize that Jesus has
granted the Pope, together with his college of bishops, the gift of
infallibility in teaching morals and doctrines. Again, we do not truly
believe in the successors of Christ, the Pope and the college of Bishops.
We do not listen to the Magisterium. We trust in ourselves and our own
reasoning. If that were the case, we might as well build our own church.
The promise of Jesus to
be with His Church is not an empty promise, for historically, the Lord showed
His fidelity to His promise when He rescued St Peter from an untimely death. When St Peter was arrested and
presumably waiting for execution, the Lord sent an angel to rescue him
miraculously from prison. In the same vein, He also helped St Paul to
accomplish his mission of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. St Paul said,
“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.”
Secondly, on our part,
how do we support the Church under siege? What is the secret of being faithful to
the Lord, especially when under persecution?
The most important
assistance is fervent prayer. In the early Church, we see the people always praying
for their leaders. We read, “All the time Peter was under guard the
Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.” It was the intercession of
the Christian community that St Peter was spared. We too must always pray
for leaders of the Church. That is why in the Eucharistic prayer, we
always pray for the Holy Father and the bishop of the diocese because they have
to make decisions for the Church. They need our prayers for God’s wisdom,
fortitude and prudence so that they can act with courage for the sake of the
truth and the good of the people of God and society. Indeed, intercessory
prayer is indispensable for the Church if the Church is to grow in strength, in
depth and in number. Every one of us; priests, religious and laity must
pray and fast for Church leaders.
However, we must pray
with expectant faith.
We read later on in the same chapter that when St Peter was released from the
jail and eventually returned home, they could not believe it, thinking that he
was an angel. When we pray, we must believe that God can answer our
prayers. With the psalmist, we too must pray with confidence, “The angel
of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them.”
We also need to pray for
healing for our wounded leaders. Many of our leaders are wounded in ministry because of
misunderstanding and betrayals. St Paul as a leader did not
allow his personal grievances to hinder him from preaching the gospel. He
said, “At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May
it not be counted against them!” Leaders like our Lord who suffered betrayal
and rejection must not be vindictive but be forgiving so that their hearts can
be set free for the gospel of mercy and compassion. If leaders are full
of anger and bitterness, they cannot proclaim the gospel of joy and
compassion. In their bitterness, they close their hearts not just to
their enemies but others as well, because they look at all situations with a
wounded and resentful heart. Unconsciously, some of them hit back at
others. It is natural for one who is spurned in love to become vindictive,
especially when one has given one’s whole self to the Church. Hence, we
need to pray that they be healed by the Lord so that they can forgive from
their hearts.
Besides prayers, we must
support the leaders of the Church through fraternal love and
encouragement,because they are also human. This was what happened to St Paul.
Further along the passage, he wrote with a tinge of sadness about those who
betrayed him, those who gave up the faith for worldly riches, those who
abandoned him in his mission; some even testified and worked against him. In
spite of feeling alone and hurt, he forgave them all; thanks to the support he
received from people like Timothy, Luke and Mark. We too must do all we
can to render support to our Church leaders. Being human, they too can
capitulate to weakness. Together, we stand strong against the opposition
of the world. When the leader succumbs, the whole Church will
suffer. Do you encourage your pastors and leaders and stand by
them? Or do you only criticize them when things go wrong but fail to
affirm them when they do well? Priests are also human; they need encouragement
from the people of God to whom they have given their lives. That is why they
often get very discouraged, just like parents who feel that their children do
not appreciate them.
Finally, we must
surrender to the Lord all our works in faith and trust. Let us leave justice and success to
God. Even if we have to die on earth without justice being served, let us
remember that true justice is only possible in heaven. This is our
Christian hope and that of St Paul’s when he wrote, “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.”
So today, let us once
again find confidence in Christ our Rock and share in the faith of Sts Peter
and Paul. We pledge our
allegiance to Him and His successors. Cooperating with His grace, let us
remain firm and faithful to our faith and loyal to Christ so that we too can
say with St Paul that we have fought the good fight, we have won the race and
we can await the Lord to glorify us with Him.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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