Memorial of the Chair of Saint Peter. Read more
Memorial of the Chair of Saint Peter.
Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Matthew 16,13-19
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 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 and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency 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 community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The liturgy invites us to commemorate and celebrate the "ministry of Peter." On one hand, it underlines the apostolic foundation of the Church of Rome and on the other, the service of presiding in charity, a unique charism that remains in the successors of Peter. Through the three symbols that it names - the rock, the keys, and the power to bind and loose, the Gospel we just heard demonstrates that Peter's charism is a ministry for the whole humanity. We know how beneficial this ministry of unity is for the Church, a ministry that the bishop of Rome is called to exercise. It is even more beneficial today. In a globalized world, with strong pressures towards self-reference and fragmentation, the Pope represents a unique treasure to be guarded, protected, and revealed. This primacy does not spring from "flesh and blood;" it is not a question of personal, human qualities, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. The testimony of Pope Francis is particularly eloquent in this time of disorientation and uncertainty. Jesus himself pointed to the rock when he gathered the disciples in a secluded place. He asked them what the people thought of him, not out of curiosity. Jesus needed the disciples to be in harmony with him, for them to have the same "feelings" as him. Peter spoke, answering on behalf of the Twelve confessed his faith in Jesus. And he immediately received the blessing. This house will stand firm against the "gates of Hades," which in Semitic language means the forces of evil that will try to bring it down. Of this building Peter has the keys. The house of God is not closed, it has doors and Peter has the keys. The Gospel speaks of the house that begins already now on earth, and Peter already receives the keys. As well as the power to "bind and loose," which in rabbinic language means the responsibility in the house to weave the bonds of brotherhood between all.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
