Friday - February 22, 2019
Whenever we suffer some affliction, we should regard it both as punishment and as a correction. Our holy Scriptures themselves do not promise us peace, security and rest. On the contrary, the Gospel makes no secret of the troubles and temptations that await us, but it also says that he who perseveres to the end will be saved. So we must not grumble, my brothers, and for as the Apostle says: some of them murmured and were destroyed by serpents. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us? What sufferings of ours even bear comparison with what we know of their sufferings? How then can you think that past ages were better than your own?
-- St. Augustine
Whenever we suffer some affliction, we should regard it both as punishment and as a correction. Our holy Scriptures themselves do not promise us peace, security and rest. On the contrary, the Gospel makes no secret of the troubles and temptations that await us, but it also says that he who perseveres to the end will be saved. So we must not grumble, my brothers, and for as the Apostle says: some of them murmured and were destroyed by serpents. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us? What sufferings of ours even bear comparison with what we know of their sufferings? How then can you think that past ages were better than your own?
-- St. Augustine
February 22 2019
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Lectionary: 535
Reading 11 PT 5:1-4
Beloved:
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Responsorial PsalmPS 23:1-3A, 4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
AlleluiaMT 16:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;
the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;
the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 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.”
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.”
******************************
SHEPHERDING IN IMITATION OF CHRIST
The readings for the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle all focus us on the quality of leadership called "shepherding."
Our priests are the shepherds of the parish. The bishop is the shepherd of the priests and all the parishioners of the diocese. The pope is the shepherd of the world -- he is in persona Christi the Good Shepherd for everyone today, in imitation of Christ, in obedience to him, and as a voice speaking for him, inheriting the role from the first pope, Saint Peter.
All leaders -- clergy and laity, consecrated religious and secular -- are called to imitate Jesus' style of shepherding. Parents are to do it as they shepherd their families. Teachers are to do it as they shepherd their classrooms. Employers and supervisors are to do it as they shepherd those who work under them. Secretaries are to do it as they shepherd the people who come through the office.
How does Jesus serve you? That's how we're to shepherd others.
The Good Shepherd is caring.
He protects his flock.
He guides his sheep to safer pastures.
He goes after the lost and finds them.
He carries the weak ones over difficult terrain.
He fights off the wolves and defeats them with the power of God.
Always alert to do his job well, he relies on the Holy Spirit who empowers him.
He protects his flock.
He guides his sheep to safer pastures.
He goes after the lost and finds them.
He carries the weak ones over difficult terrain.
He fights off the wolves and defeats them with the power of God.
Always alert to do his job well, he relies on the Holy Spirit who empowers him.
To do otherwise is a grave sin, for it is anti-evangelization and anti-Christ.
In imitation of Christ, we care about each "sheep" and "lamb" in our lives. We guide them by taking an active interest in their problems and offering them the wisdom we've gained from experience and from the Holy Spirit. We find ways to bridge the gaps of division, i.e., seeking "the lost." We let them lean on us when they're weak or feeling unlovable or overwhelmed by difficulties. We pray for them, helping them defeat the demons that prey on them like wolves. Or we stand up to the bullies who prey on their joy and dignity.
Meanwhile, we continue working on our own healing process and spiritual development -- as fully as possible -- so that we can decrease and the Good Shepherd can increase in us. We learn how to better care for our flocks through the compassion we gain by getting in touch with our own pain, our own times of being attacked by wolves, our own need to be led to safer pastures -- and by doing everything possible to heal and learn from these difficulties.
In whatever ways Jesus has shepherded us, this is the only way we can successfully shepherd others.
Today's Prayer
Give me, Lord, the light of Your Holy Spirit to truly discover who You are to me. I want to let You conquer my whole being. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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