The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

St Peter

“I do so love St Peter,” says a friend of mine. “Whenever he opens his mouth, he puts his foot in it”.
  She is right, of course. Whatever else St Peter may be, he is not the model of a wise and noble hero. He walks on the water – but then panics and starts to sink. He makes the first profession of faith – and moments later blunders into error and is called Satan by the Lord. He refuses to be washed, and then, when the purpose is explained to him, demands to be washed all over. And, of course, he betrays his master soon after having been warned that he will and having sworn not to. If Peter is the rock on which the Church is built, what a fissured and friable rock it is! How much better, we think, to have chosen the Sons of Thunder, for their energy; or Judas Iscariot, for his financial acumen; or John, because he was loved the best.
  The choosing of Peter teaches us a lesson. The Church’s foundation-stone and its first leader is not all-wise, all-knowing, good, heroic, and beautiful. He is a very ordinary man who makes about as many mistakes as we would in his place, and kicks himself for them just as thoroughly afterwards. If St Peter had been a hero, we could easily have despaired of ever becoming like him. If St Peter had been great, and noble, and good, we could have told ourselves that the Church is for the saints, despaired, sat down, and not bothered. But the Church is not just for saints: it is for confused, impetuous, cowardly people like us – or St Peter. The rock crumbles, the ropes are frayed, the wood is rotten – but, although that improbable building, the Church, is made of such inferior materials, it grows (on the whole) faster than it collapses, and it is grace that holds it together.
  In the end, it was grace that gave the coward the courage to bear witness when it counted, grace that gave the fool the wisdom he needed to set the infant Church on her way, grace that taught the impetuous man patience and forbearance.
  We none of us admire ourselves, however much we would like to; let us not try to admire St Peter either, but admire instead the grace he was given, and pray that, weak as we are, we may be given it too, and may use it.

I don’t know who wrote the above, but it is from todays Universalis readings. This is the day of the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. 

The heading of today's page reads like this.:

The Lord is the king of apostles; come, let us adore him.

It is hard to convince Protestants that Catholic veneration of the saints is not worship of the people themselves. Maybe this reading will help someone see that in the veneration of the saints - even of St. Peter - they are not really the focus of attention. At least they should not be. 

We should not confuse Creator and that which is created. Saints are creations of God. They do not create themselves. 

We are encouraged to see and marvel at the grace of God operating in the lives of those God has used in extraordinary ways. We stand amazed because we know that these saints are people like us, yet God took them and made them into something extraordinary. 

Even more than that, He has that destiny in mind for every one who believes in Christ. The goal for all saints - even every Christian -  is to be saintly. They show that God is able to do what we could never do ourselves. 

Venerating a saint is much like looking at a beautiful work of art and marveling at the artist’s ability. How did the great master paint like that, or sculpt like that? 

It is a lot like listening to a great piece of music - like Bach’s Mass in B minor, which I keep coming back to - and wondering how an ordinary human being could write something so intricate and sublime. 

It is a lot like looking at a sunset, awestruck by its majesty. 

These works of God and man should bring us to our knees in worship of the God who is by definition Creator. We are created in His image after all. Everything in all of creation points to Him. 

Saints are no exception. Man doesn’t just imitate God in the creative process. Somehow he cooperates with God. 

Yes, I know that Protestant resistance to the veneration of saints is not easily overcome. However, maybe what I say will help someone else at least understand a bit better.

The Narrow Way

This is my second year of following the Daily Readings that come from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Some of the video reflections are better than others, but almost all of them are good. Some of them are excellent. 

Today’s reflection based on Matthew 7:6, 12-14 was quite moving. In just under two minutes, Fr. Paul D. Seil  was able to capture the essence of this short Gospel passage. He even tied it in with the life of St. Alyoysius Gonzaga, whose feast is today. 

St. Gonzaga was a young man who followed that narrow way. The university in Spokane named in his honor has been familiar to me for a long time. I had never bothered to look him up to see who he was - is, I mean. :-)  He is alive in God’s presence. 

Gonzaga's life was incredibly inspiring, since he gave his life while caring for plague victims and preparing them for death. He was Jesuit, as is the school named for him. 

Listen to this short reflection. It is worth your time. 

Gospel Mt 7:6, 12-14Jesus said to his disciples:“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.This is the Law and the Prophets.
“Enter through the narrow gate;for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,and those who enter through it are many.How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.And those who find it are few.”

Corporate Prayer - Chrysostom

Below I put a short quote from one of my favorites, St. John Chrysostom. This is my second time of reading through the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a great work. Catholics should read it in order to become more familiar with what the Church teaches. Protestants should read it in order to understand where their own faith comes from as well as to see what the Catholic Church actually teaches. 
Here is a short summary of the life of Chrysostom. 

(Chrysostomos, "golden-mouthed" so called on account of his eloquence).
Doctor of the Church, born at Antioch, c. 347; died at Commana in Pontus, 14 September, 407.
John — whose surname "Chrysostom" occurs for the first time in the "Constitution" of Pope Vigilius (cf. P.L., LX, 217) in the year 553 — is generally considered the most prominent doctor of the Greek Churchand the greatest preacher ever heard in a Christian pulpit. His natural gifts, as well as exterior circumstances, helped him to become what he was.

- Catholic Encyclopedia

There are a couple of  things I notice in this short quote below. One  is that it seems to have always been hard to get people to gather for worship. Many would rather stay home and practice their faith privately. Chrysostom explains why it is necessary to meet together for prayer. 

Another thing is that he talks about priests. Where there is a priest, there is also a sacrifice.  In my Protestant days if I had read this quote, I would have barely noticed the reference to priests.  Weird. I can’t really explain why. 

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.116

115.116. 

St. John Chrysostom, De incomprehensibili 3,6:PG 48,725.

 

CIC, can. 515 § 1.

Catechism 

Truth is Beautiful

“Everything about her is beautiful,” says Deacon Butterfield about the Catholic Church. 

Truth is beautiful. I was convinced as much or more by the Mass in B minor by Bach as any philosophical or theological argument. 

Something that beautiful - the music and the Mass - has to be of God.

I had always been attracted to the beauty of Catholic churches and cathedrals. Numerous times I had sat in them or walked around in them, soaking in the glory without knowing what it was that made them special. I always felt God’s presence and glory. Why?  


I especially remember sitting in the Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown Mexico City, on the Zócalo - Plaza de la Constitución. I had ducked in there to avoid a large demonstration that was happening nearby. In general, when I hear the noise of a protest, I go the other way. The friends I was with thought it would be cool to check out the protest. So they headed down the side street where the marchers were. 

Since I had lived through the 80s in the country of Chile while Pinochet was still in power, “manifestaciones” or demonstrations and protests had an entirely different meaning for me. They were something to stay away from because they almost always ended in violence and deaths. They always ended with the Carabineros throwing canisters of tear gas into the crowds. Nasty stuff. The guanacos - water canons - would also spray the crowd with water - water under high pressure that could actually hurt a person, not just get them wet. Sane people stayed away from such activities, but a few times we were caught near the wrong place at the wrong time. Never actually in the middle of trouble, but closer than we wanted to be while tires were burned and tear gas was expelled. One time a car bomb was placed in front of our neighbors’ house - defused, thankfully. 

So, back to the Zócalo about 10 years ago or more. While my friends were checking out the protest, - that turned out to be peaceful - I took refuge in the Catedral. 

Mass was being celebrated, so I heard the Scripture readings and saw the worshipers. There was a great sense of peace that washed over me. So calm. So quiet, except for the voice of the priest and those who read the Scriptures. 

After Mass, there was an organ recital. A piece written by a Mexican composer of the 18th Century was the featured work. Glorious!  That’s the best word to describe it. 

Another time we were in Cadiz, Spain. My family wanted to climb to the top of the Cathedral’s tower. It was a spiral staircase if I remember right. My vertigo overcame any desire I might have had to climb up there for a better view. 

So, I spent my time inside the cathedral looking at all the marvelous works of art. There were hand written manuscripts, hundreds of years old from the time before the printing press was invented. There were statues and paintings and hand made furniture. The cathedral is made of white marbel, mostly. 

I even wandered down into the crypt and thought about the people who were buried in those walls.  Even though it was a burial place for people who had been important during their lifetime, there was a great peace down there. Silence. Calm. Candles. Artwork. The cross. Peace. Hope.

Those are two experiences I had while I was still Protestant. There are many more - like at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Stations of the Cross in Old Jerusalem. That also involved involved a group of protesters. That’s another story. 

In fact, whenever we would visit a city, I would search out a Catholic Church to enter and just gaze. I didn’t know that I was being drawn in by her beauty. Now I know what the source of that beauty is. It is the Real Presence of Christ. It is the presence of the Communion of Saints and the Holy Angels. It is Heaven and Earth coming together as one. I have come to this.: 

Hebrews 12:18-29Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest,
19 and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers entreat that no further messages be spoken to them.
20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.”
21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
23 and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.

Won’t you come and see for yourself?

Great Chesterton Quote

...the philosophy of St. Thomas stands founded on the universal common conviction that eggs are eggs. The Hegelian may say that an egg is really a hen, because it is a part of an endless process of Becoming; the Berkelian may hold that poached eggs only exist as a dream exists, since it is quite as easy to call the dream the cause of the eggs as the eggs the cause of the dream; the Pragmatist may believe that we get the best out of scrambled eggs by forgetting that they ever were eggs, and only remembering the scramble. But no pupil of St. Thomas needs to addle his brains in order adequately to addle his eggs; to put his head at any peculiar angle in looking at eggs, or squinting at eggs, or winking the other eye in order to see a new simplification of eggs. The Thomist stands in the broad daylight of the brotherhood of men, in their common consciousness that eggs are not hens or dreams or mere practical assumptions; but things attested by the Authority of the Senses, which is from God. 

Chesterton in his book St. Thomas Aquinas, pg. 147.

In other words, human beings can trust their 5 senses. 

Praying the Rosary

This is a wonderful summary statement about what praying the Rosary means.  It is not what Protestants think it is. 

Journeying through the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of the rosary, the individual brings to mind our Lord's incarnation, His passion and death and His resurrection from the dead. In so doing, the rosary assists us in growing in a deeper appreciation of these mysteries, in uniting our life more closely to our Lord and in imploring His graced assistance to live the faith. We also ask for the prayers of our Blessed Mother, who leads all believers to her Son.

From - History of the Rosary by Fr. William Saunders

(When he wrote this, the Luminous Mysteries had not yet been added by St. Pope John Paul II. ) 

There is a lot of confusion among Protestants - and maybe Catholics as well - about what praying the Rosary actually is. 

On his blog, Douglas Beaumont provides a great explanation for Protestants of what the Rosary is. You can find his article Rosary Explanation for Protestants.

The Rosary is not just something that old ladies - like me, I suppose - use. Beaumont wrote a very good article about the Rosary for men - Manly Rosaries for Manly Men.


After I decided that I would join the Catholic Church, I also decided that I would start praying the Rosary. It was like a test for me. If I couldn’t pray the Rosary, then maybe I wasn’t meant to be Catholic. Of course, praying the Rosary is not an obligation for us as Catholics, but for me it was something truly Catholic. It is very different from anything that Protestants do in the way of devotional praying. Well, at least in the Protestant traditions I am most familiar with. 

I wanted to see what it was all about. In the RCIA class, we were each given a lovely Rosary. I started using it and learning all the Mysteries and prayers. I now have a growing collection of Rosaries, including at least 2 virtual Rosary apps and several Rosary bracelets.

There was an error in my thinking that I had learned in Protestantism. It was that the Rosary is all about Mariolatry. That is, the worship of Mary. The truth is that it is all about focusing on the main events of the life of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. The Rosary is basically looking at Jesus through the eyes of His mother. Hence the phrase “to Jesus through Mary.” She was there for most of those events, so she was an eyewitness. 

The Rosary is the Gospel. Here is a list of the mysteries that one is encouraged to contemplate throughout the week.  If Protestants take offense at the Marian parts of the Rosary, why not just think about these Biblical passages at least once a week? There are also virtues associated with these mysteries, such as faith, hope, and love - the 3 theological virtues - all the fruit of the Spirit, and more. What could it possibly hurt to think about these things and ask God for the virtues exemplified in them? 

Protestants barely think about these events  a couple of times a year - at Christmas, Easter, and maybe during Advent, Lent, and Holy Week. Yet at the same time, Protestants love to criticize Catholics for not knowing the Bible!  Yes, I have very much been guilty of that. Now, every week I remember these events, most of them twice during the week. It helps keep me focused on Christ, our Foundation. 

I don’t know what problem a Protestant would have in thinking about how Jesus entered this world through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Neither should a Protestant have trouble contemplating the fact that Mary said “yes” to God and is therefore the prime example for all believers of how we should submit our wills to the will of God. 

There is more, of course. Mary is no ordinary woman. She was specially prepared to be the Mother of Our Lord. Look at Jesus through her eyes and see what you see. Open your heart to the Holy Spirit as she did. A whole new world of wonder and glory just might open up to you if you let it. 

As Fr. Saunders pointed out, our Blessed Mother always leads the believer to her Son. 

The Joyful Mysteries (Monday and Saturday)
1. The annunciation - Luke 1:26-38
2. The Visitation - Luke 1:39-56
3. The Birth of Our Lord - Luke 1:1-21
4. The presentation of Our Lord - Luke 2:22-38
5. The finding of the Boy, Jesus in the Temple - Luke 2:41-52

The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday)
1. The Agony in the Garden - Mt. 26:36-56
2. The Scourging at the Pillar - Mt. 27:26
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-31)
4. Our Lord Carries the Cross to Calvary (Matthew 27:32
5. The Crucifixion of Our Lord (Matthew 27:33-56)

“Glorious Mysteries”
(Wednesday & Sunday)

1. The Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord (John 20:1-29)
2. The Ascension of Our Lord (Luke 24:36-53)
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41)
4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven (Song of Songs 2:2,10-11)
5. The Coronation of Mary (Genesis 3:15 cf. Revelation 12:1)

“Luminous Mysteries”
(Thursday)

1. The Baptism of Our Lord in the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13-16)
2. The Wedding at Cana, when Christ manifested Himself (John 2:1-11)
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15)
4. The Transfiguration of Our Lord (Matthew 17:1-8)
5. The Last Supper, when Our Lord gave us the Holy Eucharist (Mt 26)

What is a Saint?

Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

- Yesterday’s Gospel reading for Mass

The Daily Video Reflection for June 7, 2016 from the USCCB website had a lovely little story told by Fr. Conrad Stachowiak. This Fr. works with deaf Catholics. 

Watch the video if you have time. I will try to get the story right. It relates to what it means to be salt and light in this world. All Christians are called to be salt and light. In fact, we are all called to be saints. That is God’s goal for all of us, to be like Christ. That is what a saint is - someone who is like Jesus. Some have the special designation of Saint because of the extraordinary way that the grace of God was reflected in their lives. 

Yes, Protestants have trouble with that designation. However, I know from my many years as an Evangelical Protestant that even in my circles there are men and women, young and old, who are revered. There are some Christians in all groups who are held up as examples of what it means to follow Christ. 

In fact, some Protestant groups even call those special people “saints.” Their lives are an encouragement to all of us. 

Now for the story. 

There was a teacher at a Catholic school for the deaf who took her 3rd grade class to a cathedral.  The children were fascinated with all they saw, especially in the stained glass windows. One child asked the teacher who those people depicted in the windows were. She simply answered that those were saints. 

The next day in class she asked her students questions about their field trip. She asked, “Who can tell me what a saint is?”  The little boy who had asked the question the day before raised his hand and answered, “A saint is a person who lets the light shine through.”

We are all called to this, to allow the light and love of Christ shine through us. Fr. Conrad reminds us that we need to lay aside our arrogance so that the light of Christ can shine through us. People need to see Christ in us. 

What a great little story and application of this Gospel passage!

Find this reflection and others at the USCCB website.