St
Peter’s confession of faith, and then his willingness to feed the flock of God
in all charity is the rock-like foundation of the Catholic
Church – this Jesus clarifies just before he ascends into heaven. “Belief, followed
by acts of love done out of obedience to Christ’s command for us to take care
of one another” is what we are all about!
Peter professed his faith by
saying “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God;” and he three-times
proclaimed in front of the other apostles: “you know that I love you Lord, yes,
I will feed your sheep and tend your lambs” – inferring not only himself but
also his descendants in the apostolic line of succession.
The true measure of a pope,
bishop or priest of today is his willingness to base everything he does on
“faith and charity” – otherwise he is a hypocritical puff of smoke and a pious
fraud – and no priest at all.
In this unstable and
challenging day and age, no less than the first century, the clergy and the
laity alike are called upon to witness to the Truth of the Catholic Church –
filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit and
willing to go to the ends of the earth
at the very most, but much more easily, but again much more difficultly, to the
person sitting next to you. The new kingdom of God begins right here, right now
– and every right here and right now of today!
Come
Holy Spirit – teach us everything we need to know – to
make the real Jesus truly known among the peoples!
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