(June 29.)
Gospel. Matt. xvi. 13-19. "At that time Jesus came into the district of Cesarea Philippi, and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is ? But they said : Some, John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others, Jeremias; or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
How beautiful is our holy religion! Not only does she propose to our imitation the life of Our Lord, but she shows us also poor weak human beings, that have been sanctified by God's grace and mercy, and have become saints in heaven. Such were the Apostles, and so many other saints, who, from very imperfect beings became holy men and women.
Let us therefore speak of the great Apostle, St. Peter, whose feast, with that of St. Paul, we celebrate today. We shall see in this discourse how he was elevated to so high a dignity, through the lively faith and intense love he had for Jesus Christ. The faith of St. Peter was of the liveliest character: the first time he saw Our Lord he believed in Him, became His disciple and abandoned all to follow Him. Once from his boat he saw Our Lord walking toward him on the water, and so great was his faith in His power, that he believed it would be possible to walk on the water also, if Our Lord so ordered.
The first time Our Lord taught the great mystery of the Blessed Eucharist, promising that He would give His flesh to eat and His blood to drink, many of His hearers and disciples left Him, so much were they shocked. Our Lord asked Peter whether he, too, would go away: to which he answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." No, Lord, never will I leave Thee, let all fly from Thee, and abandon Thee, but I will always be happy in Thy company, even though I should have to give my life for this fidelity.
But who does not remember St. Peter's betrayal of Our Lord at the court of Pilate, when a servant girl remembered to have seen Peter, and said that he was one of the companions of the Nazarene; he assured the bystanders that he knew not the man, and confirmed his assertion by oaths and curses. But Jesus cast a glance of commiseration on the guilty Peter, who then remembered his Lord's words: " Before the cock crows, thou wilt deny Me thrice," and going out, he wept bitterly. Another sign of the faith of St. Peter is shown from the following incident: Once Our Lord asked His disciples who they thought He was; they mentioned different persons, Elias, or one of the prophets. But Peter at once answered, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." That is. Thou art the Messias promised to the Jews, the Desired of all nations, the King of Israel, the King of kings, the Lord of lords whom all must obey. This was a wonderful confession and the Lord approved of it. "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father, who is in heaven. And I say to thee thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
If Peter's faith was great, immense also was his reward: In consideration of that great faith, he was constituted the head of the Church, the master of all; that by the special gift vouchsafed to him, the Church might be preserved infallible. As a reward of his faith you see him work the most wonderful miracles, healing the sick even by the shadow of his body; the lame walked, the devils fled from those that were possessed, and he raised the dead to life. We read in the Acts of the Apostles of a poor man whose lower limbs were paralyzed so that he was not able to walk. When this poor man saw Peter passing, he asked for alms, but Peter said, "Silver and gold, I have none, but what I have I give thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk." Another miracle wrought by St. Peter is the following:
A noble young man, a relation of the king, died; his parents and relatives had recourse to Peter, who after a short prayer, turned to the body and said, "Young man, I say to thee, arise." Jesus gave him life and health, and at once he rose. Peter took him by the hand and gave him to his parents. My dear young friends, do you wish to do great things for God and for humanity, and do you wish to have the help of God in all your undertakings? Imitate the faith of Peter; make with Peter that beautiful confession to Our Lord, by calling Him the Son of God. When you receive Jesus in holy communion, when you visit the church where Jesus is on the altar, call Him Jesus, the Son of the living God, because it shows your faith and your love for Him.
The love of Peter for Our Lord was also very great. You can see this from the following incident, related in the Gospel: One day after Peter's triple betrayal. Our Lord suddenly came upon him and said, "Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me?" and Peter answered, "Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee." He saith to him, "Feed My lambs." Then Our Lord asked him again, " Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me?" Peter gave the same answer, and Jesus said, "Feed My sheep." Then for the third time Our Saviour asked, "Lovest thou Me?" and Peter was grieved, for it looked as if Our Lord doubted his fidelity, firmness, and love. So in despair he said to Our Lord: "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." Then Jesus said, "Feed My lambs." These glorious offices were entrusted to Peter on account of that faithful and enthusiastic love he showed for Christ. My dear young people, if Our Lord were to address you in these words, "Dost thou love Me?" what could you answer? Could you with St. Peter say, "Thou knowest. Lord, that I love Thee." Would you not have to answer, "I love Thee but little, Lord; somehow I must confess that I love pleasures, plays, pastimes and feasts more." Others will have to say, "No, Lord; I love Thee not. I hate Thee. Go away from me; my love is for the devil and sin." You thereby confess yourself an enemy of Christ, and dreadful will be your fate in the future. Let us, my dear friends, make a profession of love to Our Lord, saying, "Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee; we have been friends for many years. Thou knowest that I have not deserted Thee."
St. Peter gave practical proofs of his love for Jesus by the gigantic works which he undertook; the preaching of the Gospel and supervising the workings of the infant Church. He did not fear to appear now in the very midst of those who had crucified Our Lord. He is not afraid now of Pilate's servants, and he tells the Jews openly, "You denied the holy One, and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, but the Author of life you killed." Thus he remained faithful to the cause of Our Lord, in all the trials that came upon him. When put in prison, when cruelly treated and persecuted, when the priests had him scourged, he did not cease to preach constantly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When they forbade him to do it, he said, "Judge for yourselves whether we should not obey God rather than men." He had to suffer much among those many and bitter enemies; but the love of Jesus made him superior to all suffering; no persecution could tire him; he possessed great peace of soul, even though he was in chains. At length the day arrives when he is to give the last and greatest proof of his love. He rejoiced when judgment was passed on 'him, and he was to be crucified. "Ah," he said, "I am not worthy to die as my Master did; crucify me with my head down, and thus I will suffer a little more for Him." His prayer was granted. This is the reason that in pictures we see St. Peter crucified with his head downwards. St. Peter praised God on the cross and preached for the short while he had to suffer, and then he gave up his soul to the Lord, who brought him with glory to the realms of paradise.
One thing more I wish to recommend strongly to you, my dear young friends, and that is the great faith and love St. Peter had for Our Lord. On this, his glorious day of martyrdom, pray for the whole Catholic world; pray that he may protect and intercede for you at the throne of the omnipotent God, pray that you may be able to resist the insinuations of modern unbelief; pray that he may obtain for you a true sorrow for your sins, and the strength of soul not to commit them again; pray that he may obtain for you the true love of Jesus, that having loved Him faithfully on earth, you may have the happiness to continue that love for all eternity in heaven.
Source: Sermons for the Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900
Gospel. Matt. xvi. 13-19. "At that time Jesus came into the district of Cesarea Philippi, and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is ? But they said : Some, John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others, Jeremias; or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
How beautiful is our holy religion! Not only does she propose to our imitation the life of Our Lord, but she shows us also poor weak human beings, that have been sanctified by God's grace and mercy, and have become saints in heaven. Such were the Apostles, and so many other saints, who, from very imperfect beings became holy men and women.
Let us therefore speak of the great Apostle, St. Peter, whose feast, with that of St. Paul, we celebrate today. We shall see in this discourse how he was elevated to so high a dignity, through the lively faith and intense love he had for Jesus Christ. The faith of St. Peter was of the liveliest character: the first time he saw Our Lord he believed in Him, became His disciple and abandoned all to follow Him. Once from his boat he saw Our Lord walking toward him on the water, and so great was his faith in His power, that he believed it would be possible to walk on the water also, if Our Lord so ordered.
The first time Our Lord taught the great mystery of the Blessed Eucharist, promising that He would give His flesh to eat and His blood to drink, many of His hearers and disciples left Him, so much were they shocked. Our Lord asked Peter whether he, too, would go away: to which he answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." No, Lord, never will I leave Thee, let all fly from Thee, and abandon Thee, but I will always be happy in Thy company, even though I should have to give my life for this fidelity.
But who does not remember St. Peter's betrayal of Our Lord at the court of Pilate, when a servant girl remembered to have seen Peter, and said that he was one of the companions of the Nazarene; he assured the bystanders that he knew not the man, and confirmed his assertion by oaths and curses. But Jesus cast a glance of commiseration on the guilty Peter, who then remembered his Lord's words: " Before the cock crows, thou wilt deny Me thrice," and going out, he wept bitterly. Another sign of the faith of St. Peter is shown from the following incident: Once Our Lord asked His disciples who they thought He was; they mentioned different persons, Elias, or one of the prophets. But Peter at once answered, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." That is. Thou art the Messias promised to the Jews, the Desired of all nations, the King of Israel, the King of kings, the Lord of lords whom all must obey. This was a wonderful confession and the Lord approved of it. "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father, who is in heaven. And I say to thee thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
If Peter's faith was great, immense also was his reward: In consideration of that great faith, he was constituted the head of the Church, the master of all; that by the special gift vouchsafed to him, the Church might be preserved infallible. As a reward of his faith you see him work the most wonderful miracles, healing the sick even by the shadow of his body; the lame walked, the devils fled from those that were possessed, and he raised the dead to life. We read in the Acts of the Apostles of a poor man whose lower limbs were paralyzed so that he was not able to walk. When this poor man saw Peter passing, he asked for alms, but Peter said, "Silver and gold, I have none, but what I have I give thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk." Another miracle wrought by St. Peter is the following:
A noble young man, a relation of the king, died; his parents and relatives had recourse to Peter, who after a short prayer, turned to the body and said, "Young man, I say to thee, arise." Jesus gave him life and health, and at once he rose. Peter took him by the hand and gave him to his parents. My dear young friends, do you wish to do great things for God and for humanity, and do you wish to have the help of God in all your undertakings? Imitate the faith of Peter; make with Peter that beautiful confession to Our Lord, by calling Him the Son of God. When you receive Jesus in holy communion, when you visit the church where Jesus is on the altar, call Him Jesus, the Son of the living God, because it shows your faith and your love for Him.
The love of Peter for Our Lord was also very great. You can see this from the following incident, related in the Gospel: One day after Peter's triple betrayal. Our Lord suddenly came upon him and said, "Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me?" and Peter answered, "Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee." He saith to him, "Feed My lambs." Then Our Lord asked him again, " Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me?" Peter gave the same answer, and Jesus said, "Feed My sheep." Then for the third time Our Saviour asked, "Lovest thou Me?" and Peter was grieved, for it looked as if Our Lord doubted his fidelity, firmness, and love. So in despair he said to Our Lord: "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." Then Jesus said, "Feed My lambs." These glorious offices were entrusted to Peter on account of that faithful and enthusiastic love he showed for Christ. My dear young people, if Our Lord were to address you in these words, "Dost thou love Me?" what could you answer? Could you with St. Peter say, "Thou knowest. Lord, that I love Thee." Would you not have to answer, "I love Thee but little, Lord; somehow I must confess that I love pleasures, plays, pastimes and feasts more." Others will have to say, "No, Lord; I love Thee not. I hate Thee. Go away from me; my love is for the devil and sin." You thereby confess yourself an enemy of Christ, and dreadful will be your fate in the future. Let us, my dear friends, make a profession of love to Our Lord, saying, "Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee; we have been friends for many years. Thou knowest that I have not deserted Thee."
St. Peter gave practical proofs of his love for Jesus by the gigantic works which he undertook; the preaching of the Gospel and supervising the workings of the infant Church. He did not fear to appear now in the very midst of those who had crucified Our Lord. He is not afraid now of Pilate's servants, and he tells the Jews openly, "You denied the holy One, and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, but the Author of life you killed." Thus he remained faithful to the cause of Our Lord, in all the trials that came upon him. When put in prison, when cruelly treated and persecuted, when the priests had him scourged, he did not cease to preach constantly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When they forbade him to do it, he said, "Judge for yourselves whether we should not obey God rather than men." He had to suffer much among those many and bitter enemies; but the love of Jesus made him superior to all suffering; no persecution could tire him; he possessed great peace of soul, even though he was in chains. At length the day arrives when he is to give the last and greatest proof of his love. He rejoiced when judgment was passed on 'him, and he was to be crucified. "Ah," he said, "I am not worthy to die as my Master did; crucify me with my head down, and thus I will suffer a little more for Him." His prayer was granted. This is the reason that in pictures we see St. Peter crucified with his head downwards. St. Peter praised God on the cross and preached for the short while he had to suffer, and then he gave up his soul to the Lord, who brought him with glory to the realms of paradise.
One thing more I wish to recommend strongly to you, my dear young friends, and that is the great faith and love St. Peter had for Our Lord. On this, his glorious day of martyrdom, pray for the whole Catholic world; pray that he may protect and intercede for you at the throne of the omnipotent God, pray that you may be able to resist the insinuations of modern unbelief; pray that he may obtain for you a true sorrow for your sins, and the strength of soul not to commit them again; pray that he may obtain for you the true love of Jesus, that having loved Him faithfully on earth, you may have the happiness to continue that love for all eternity in heaven.
Source: Sermons for the Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900
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