Rock of Peter
Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, apostles
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
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."
Introductory Prayer: Jesus, I believe in You. I believe
that You came into this world to suffer and die to give me a chance at eternal
salvation. I want to draw close to You in this prayer. May this time I spend
with You be an expression of my love.
Petition: Help me, Lord, to enter into a deeper, personal relationship with You.
1. Identity Crisis: Jesus isn´t interested in what
"others" think of him. He wants to know what I think of him. The test
of any relationship is how committed people are to each other. At some point a
young woman will wonder, how serious is her boyfriend? After a few weeks of
class, a professor wants to know, who are the serious students here? On the eve
of battle a soldier might wonder, can I count on my buddies when the bullets
start flying? Likewise, Our Lord wonders about us. What does Christ mean to me?
Is he just a picture on a holy card? A dimly perceived do-gooder from the past?
Or does he have a real place in my life? He is, after all, the Second Person of
the Trinity who came into the world in order to save us. How does that truth
affect my faith?
2. Heavenly Revelation: Peter professes that Jesus is the
Christ, the Messiah. And Jesus in turn tells him that this knowledge doesn´t
come from the world. It comes from God the Father. Recognition of Jesus as the
Christ involves an act of faith. Throughout history skeptics have tried to
figure out Jesus, using just their reason and tools of research. But since when
do we try to understand the totality of a person with reason? Learning about
another person can often require personal contact, above all, listening to him
or her. Do I try to listen to Jesus in prayer, in Scripture? Or do I simply try
to "figure him out"?
3. Binding and Loosing: Keys were a symbol of authority. Our
Lord had all authority on earth (see Matthew 28:18 and Mark 2:10). Authority
implies the ability to delegate it; hence, Jesus gave Peter, as the first pope,
the power to bind and loose, that is, to make disciplinary rules within the
Church. A child who disobeys a licit command from its mother is committing a
sin. Why? Not because Mom is God, but because Mom has authority from God.
Authority, in this case papal authority, is not an imposition but rather a
service. The Pope´s unique authority gives us a sure guide on moral questions.
The Pope doesn´t have the power to make morality but rather to define
authoritatively on issues at hand. How well do I know papal teaching? Do I make
an effort to learn why he teaches as he teaches? When a difficulty arises, do I
consult Church teaching? "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever
rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16).
Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me to love my faith as an
expression of my personal relationship with You. Keep me from ever growing cold
in my faith. Grant me a renewed appreciation for the gift of papal authority.
Resolution: I will read a few paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
for example, a few about the papacy (880-887, 895, 1559).
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
96
+Trials sent by God to a soul which is particularly loved by Him.
Temptations and darkness; Satan. The soul's love [for God] is still not such as God would have it. The soul suddenly loses the tangible perception of God's presence. Various defects and imperfections rise up within it, and it must fight them furiously. All her faults lift up their heads, but the soul's vigilance is great. The former awareness of the presence of God gives place to coldness and spiritual dryness; the soul has no taste for spiritual exercises; it cannot pray, either in the old way, or in the manner in which it had just begun to pray. It struggles this way and that, but can find no satisfaction. God has hidden himself from it, and it can find no consolation in creatures, nor can any of these creatures find a way of consoling it. The soul craves passionately for God, but sees its own misery; it begins to sense God's justice; it seems to it that it has lost all the gifts that God had given it; its mind is dimmed, and darkness fills it; unspeakable torment begins. The soul tries to explain its state to the confessor, but it is not understood and is assailed by an even greater unrest. Satan begins his work.
Temptations and darkness; Satan. The soul's love [for God] is still not such as God would have it. The soul suddenly loses the tangible perception of God's presence. Various defects and imperfections rise up within it, and it must fight them furiously. All her faults lift up their heads, but the soul's vigilance is great. The former awareness of the presence of God gives place to coldness and spiritual dryness; the soul has no taste for spiritual exercises; it cannot pray, either in the old way, or in the manner in which it had just begun to pray. It struggles this way and that, but can find no satisfaction. God has hidden himself from it, and it can find no consolation in creatures, nor can any of these creatures find a way of consoling it. The soul craves passionately for God, but sees its own misery; it begins to sense God's justice; it seems to it that it has lost all the gifts that God had given it; its mind is dimmed, and darkness fills it; unspeakable torment begins. The soul tries to explain its state to the confessor, but it is not understood and is assailed by an even greater unrest. Satan begins his work.
97
Faith staggers under the impact; the struggle is fierce. The soul tries hard to
cling to God by an act of will. With God's permission, Satan goes even further:
hope and love are put to the test. These temptations are terrible. God supports
the soul in secret, so to speak. The soul is not aware of this, but otherwise
it would be impossible to stand firm; and God knows very well how much He can
allow to befall a soul. The soul is tempted to unbelief in respect to revealed
truths and to insincerity toward the confessor. Satan says to it, "Look,
no one understands you; why speak about all this?" Words that terrify it
sound in its ears, and it seems to the soul that it is uttering these against
God. It sees what it does not want to see. It hears what it does not want to
hear. And, oh, it is a terrible thing at times like these not to have an
experienced confessor! The soul carries the whole burden alone. However, one
should make every effort to find, if it is at all possible, a well-informed
confessor, for the soul can collapse under the burden and come to the very edge
of the precipice. All these trials are heavy and difficult. God does not send
them to a soul which has not already been admitted to a deeper intimacy with Him
and which has not yet tasted the divine delights. Besides, in this God has His
own plans, which for us are impenetrable. God often prepares a soul in this way
for His future designs and great works. He wants to try it as pure gold is
tried. But this is not yet the end of the testing; there is still the trial of
trials, the complete abandonment of the soul by God.
+
The Trial of Trials, Complete Abandonment - Despair
98 When the soul comes out victorious from the preceding trials, even though it may stumble here and there, it fights on valiantly, humbly calling upon God, "Save me, I am perishing!" And it is still able to fight on.
At this point, however, the soul is engulfed in a horrible night. It sees within itself only sin. It feels terrible. It sees itself completely abandoned by God. It feels itself to be the object of His hatred. It is but one step away from despair. The soul does its best to defend itself; it tries to stir up its confidence; but prayer is an even greater torment for it, as this prayer seems to arouse God to an even greater anger. The soul finds itself poised on the summit of a lofty mountain on the very brink of a precipice.
The soul is drawn to God, but feels repulsed. All other sufferings and tortures in the world are as nothing compared with this sensation into which it has been plunged; namely, that of being rejected by God. No one can bring it any relief; it finds itself completely alone; there is no one to defend it. It raises its eyes to heaven, but is convinced that this is not for her-for her all is lost. It falls deeper and deeper from darkness to darkness, and it seems to it that it has lost forever the God it used to love so dearly. This thought is torture beyond all description. But the soul does not agree to it and tries to lift its gaze toward heaven, but in vain! And this makes the torture even more intense.
If God wishes to keep the soul in such darkness, no one will be able to give it light. It experiences rejection by God in a vivid and terrifying manner. From its heart burst forth painful moans, so painful that no priest will comprehend it, unless he himself has been through these trials. In the midst of this, the evil spirit adds to the soul's suffering, mocking it: "Will you persist in your faithfulness? This is your reward; you are in our power!" But Satan has only as much influence over the soul as God allows him, and God knows how much we can bear. "What have you gotten out of your mortifications," says Satan, "and out of your fidelity to the rule? What use are all these efforts? You have been rejected by God!" This word, rejected, becomes a fire which penetrates every nerve to the marrow of the bone. It pierces right through her entire being. The ordeal reaches its climax. The soul no longer looks for help anywhere. It shrinks into itself and loses sight of everything; it is as though it has accepted the torture of being abandoned. This is a moment for which I have no words. This is the agony of the soul.
98 When the soul comes out victorious from the preceding trials, even though it may stumble here and there, it fights on valiantly, humbly calling upon God, "Save me, I am perishing!" And it is still able to fight on.
At this point, however, the soul is engulfed in a horrible night. It sees within itself only sin. It feels terrible. It sees itself completely abandoned by God. It feels itself to be the object of His hatred. It is but one step away from despair. The soul does its best to defend itself; it tries to stir up its confidence; but prayer is an even greater torment for it, as this prayer seems to arouse God to an even greater anger. The soul finds itself poised on the summit of a lofty mountain on the very brink of a precipice.
The soul is drawn to God, but feels repulsed. All other sufferings and tortures in the world are as nothing compared with this sensation into which it has been plunged; namely, that of being rejected by God. No one can bring it any relief; it finds itself completely alone; there is no one to defend it. It raises its eyes to heaven, but is convinced that this is not for her-for her all is lost. It falls deeper and deeper from darkness to darkness, and it seems to it that it has lost forever the God it used to love so dearly. This thought is torture beyond all description. But the soul does not agree to it and tries to lift its gaze toward heaven, but in vain! And this makes the torture even more intense.
If God wishes to keep the soul in such darkness, no one will be able to give it light. It experiences rejection by God in a vivid and terrifying manner. From its heart burst forth painful moans, so painful that no priest will comprehend it, unless he himself has been through these trials. In the midst of this, the evil spirit adds to the soul's suffering, mocking it: "Will you persist in your faithfulness? This is your reward; you are in our power!" But Satan has only as much influence over the soul as God allows him, and God knows how much we can bear. "What have you gotten out of your mortifications," says Satan, "and out of your fidelity to the rule? What use are all these efforts? You have been rejected by God!" This word, rejected, becomes a fire which penetrates every nerve to the marrow of the bone. It pierces right through her entire being. The ordeal reaches its climax. The soul no longer looks for help anywhere. It shrinks into itself and loses sight of everything; it is as though it has accepted the torture of being abandoned. This is a moment for which I have no words. This is the agony of the soul.
440
O my Creator and Lord, my entire being is Yours! Dispose of me according to
Your divine pleasure and according to Your eternal plans and Your unfathomable
mercy. May every soul know how good the Lord is; may no soul fear to commune
intimately with the Lord; may no soul use unworthiness as an excuse, and may it
never postpone [accepting] God's invitations, for that is not pleasing to the
Lord. There is no soul more wretched than I am, as I truly know myself, and I
am astounded that divine Majesty stoops so low. O eternity, it seems to me that
you are too short to extol [adequately] the infinite mercy of the Lord!
523
O will of God, be my love. My Jesus, You know that of myself I would not have
written a single letter, and if I do write, it is only because of a clear
command of holy obedience.
525
O Holy Trinity, in whom is contained the inner life of God, the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, eternal joy, inconceivable depth of love, poured out
upon all creatures and constituting their happiness, honor and glory be to Your
holy name forever and ever. Amen.
When I consider Your greatness and beauty, O my God, I rejoice exceedingly that the Lord I serve is so great. With love and joy I carry out His will, and the more I come to know Him, the more I desire to love Him. I burn with the desire to love Him ever more and more.
When I consider Your greatness and beauty, O my God, I rejoice exceedingly that the Lord I serve is so great. With love and joy I carry out His will, and the more I come to know Him, the more I desire to love Him. I burn with the desire to love Him ever more and more.
638
Jesus, drive away from me the thoughts that are not in accord with Your will. I
know that nothing now binds me to this earth but this work of mercy.
641
Oh, what joy it is to empty myself for the sake of immortal souls! I know that
the grain of wheat must be destroyed and ground between millstones in order to
become food. In the same way, I must become destroyed in order to be useful to
the Church and souls, even though exteriorly no one will notice my sacrifice. O
Jesus, outwardly I want to be hidden, just like this little wafer wherein the
eye perceives nothing, and yet I am a host consecrated to You.
650
O my Jesus, my Master and Director, strengthen and enlighten me in these
difficult moments of my life. I expect no help from people; all my hope is in
You. I feel alone in the face of Your demands, O Lord. Despite the fears and
qualms of my nature, I am fulfilling Your holy will and desire to fulfill it as
faithfully as possible throughout my life and in my death. Jesus, with You I
can do all things. Do with me as You please; only give me Your merciful Heart
and that is enough for me.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
1191
As long as we live, the love of God grows in us. Until we die, we ought to
strive for the love of God. I have learned and experienced that souls living in
love are distinguished in this: that they are greatly enlightened concerning
the things of God, both in their own souls and in the souls of others. And simple
souls, without an education, are outstanding for their knowledge.
1193
Today, I have heard these words:
My daughter, delight of My Heart, it is with pleasure that I look into your
soul. I bestow many graces only because of you. I also withhold My punishments
only because of you. You restrain Me, and I cannot vindicate the claims of My
justice. You bind My hands with your love.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-96-98, 440)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-523, 525, 638, 641, 650)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1191, 1193)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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