Reading 1 Acts 12:1-11 In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. "It was the feast of Unleavened Bread." He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.
On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, "Get up quickly." The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals." He did so. Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me." So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.
Ps 34 :2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18 I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Mt 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."
In the Gospel today, Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Jesus says to Simon, whom he named Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16:19). This is why we often see Saint Peter depicted with two large keys in his hand, as in the statue here in this Square. Those keys represent the ministry of authority that Jesus entrusted to him at the service of all the Church. Because authority is a service, and authority that is not service is dictatorship.
Let us be careful, though, to understand well the meaning of this. Peter’s keys, in fact, are the keys of a Kingdom, which Jesus does not describe as a safe or a vault, but with other images: a tiny seed, a precious pearl, a hidden treasure, a handful of leaven (cf. Mt 13:1-33), that is, like something precious and rich, yes, but at the same time small and inconspicuous. To reach it, therefore, one does not need to activate mechanisms and safety locks, but to cultivate virtues such as patience, attention, constancy, humility, service.
Therefore, the mission that Jesus entrusts to Peter is not to bar the doors to the house, permitting entry only to a few select guests, but rather to help everyone find the way to enter, in faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus. Everyone, everyone, everyone can enter.
And Peter did this throughout his life, faithfully, until his martyrdom, after having been the first to experience for himself, not without fatigue and with many setbacks, the joy and the freedom that come from the encounter with the Lord. He was the first to have to convert, and to understand that authority is a service, in order to open the door to Jesus, and it was not easy for him. Let us think: just after saying to Jesus, “You are the Christ”, the Master had to reproach him, because he refused to accept the prophecy of his passion and his death by the cross (cf. Mt 16:21-23).
Peter received the keys to the Kingdom not because he was perfect, no — he was a sinner — but because he was humble, honest, and the Father had given him sincere faith (cf. Mt 16:17). Therefore, entrusting himself to God’s mercy, he was able to support and fortify his brethren too, as had been asked of him (cf. Lk 22:32).
Today we can ask ourselves, then: do I cultivate the desire to enter, with God’s grace, into his Kingdom, and to be, with his help, its welcoming guardian for others too? And to do so, do I let myself be “polished”, softened, modelled by Jesus and his Spirit, the Spirit who dwells in us, in each one of us?
May Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and the Saints, Peter and Paul, through their prayers, grant us to be guides and support to one another, for the encounter with the Lord Jesus.
___________________________________________
After the recitation of the Marian Prayer, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters, I greet all of you, who have come on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and I greet the people of Rome in a special way! Today I would like my greeting to reach all the inhabitants of Rome, all of them, together with my prayer: for families, especially those who struggle the most; for the elderly, those who are loneliest; for the sick, the imprisoned, and those who for various reasons are in difficulty. I hope that everyone may share the experience of Peter and Paul; namely that Jesus Christ’s love is life-saving and that it drives us to give our life to others and to do so with joy, with gratuitousness. Life cannot be sold... I think with sorrow of the brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war: let us pray for all the populations wounded or threatened by fighting, that God may free them and support them in the struggle for peace. And I give thanks to God for the release of the two Greek Catholic priests. May all the prisoners of this war soon return home! Let us pray together: may all the prisoners return home.
I wish you all a happy feast day. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch.
The Gospel of today’s Liturgy, the Solemnity of the patron saints of Rome, reports the words that Peter addresses to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). It is a profession of faith, which Peter pronounces not on the basis of his human understanding, but because God the Father inspired it in him. (…) The Apostle Paul also had his own path, and he too passed through a slow maturation of faith, experiencing moments of uncertainty and doubt. (…) In the light of this experience of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, each of us can ask ourselves: when I profess my faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, do I do so with the awareness that I must always be learning, or do I assume that I “already have it all figured out”? And again: In difficulties and trials do I become discouraged, do I complain, or do I learn to make them an opportunity to grow in trust in the Lord? For He, in fact — Paul writes to Timothy — delivers us from all evil and brings us safely to heaven (cf. 2 Tim 4:18). May the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, teach us to imitate them by progressing day by day on the path of peace. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 29 June 2022)
We are celebrating with joy the liturgical Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a Feast that accompanies the 2,000-year-old history of the Christian people. They are called the pillars of the nascent Church. Outstanding witnesses of the faith who spread the Kingdom of God with their various gifts and, following the example of the Divine Master, they sealed their Gospel preaching with blood. Their martyrdom is a sign of the Church’s unity, as St Augustine says: “Only one day is consecrated to the Feast of the two Apostles. But they too are only one. Although they were martyred on different days they were one. Peter came first and Paul followed” (Disc. 295, 8: PL 38, 1352).
The Vatican Basilica and this square, so important to Christianity, are an eloquent sign of Peter’s sacrifice. Significant traces even remain in our City of the martyrdom of Paul, especially the Basilica dedicated to him on the Ostian Way. Rome has engraved in its history signs of the glorious life and death of the humble Fisherman from Galilee and the Apostle to the Gentiles, who have been rightly chosen as Protectors. In recalling their luminous testimony, we remember the venerable beginnings of the Church which believes, prays and announces Christ the Redeemer in Rome. But Sts Peter and Paul shine not only in the sky of Rome but also in the hearts of all believers who, illuminated by their teaching and their example, walk in every part of the world on the path of faith, hope and love.
On this path of salvation, the Christian community, supported by the presence of the Spirit of the living God, feels encouraged to move forward with strength and serenity on the road of fidelity to Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel to men and women in every era. On this fruitful route, spiritual and missionary, we situate the conferral of the Pallium on the Metropolitan Archbishops, which I performed this morning in the Basilica. An ever eloquent rite which highlights the intimate communion of Pastors with the Successor of Peter and the deep bond that links us to the Apostolic Tradition. It is a double treasure of holiness where unity and the catholicity of the Church are fused together: a precious treasure to rediscover and to live with renewed enthusiasm and constant commitment.
Dear pilgrims, come here from every part of the world! On this Feast day, we pray with the phrases from the Eastern Liturgy: “Praise to Peter and Paul, two great lights of the Church; may they shine in the firmament of the faith”. In this climate, I would like to address a special thought to the Delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople which, as every year, has come to take part in our traditional celebrations. May the Holy Virgin lead all believers in Christ to the goal of full unity!
1. The Church is celebrating the feast day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul: the fisherman of Galilee who first professed faith in Christ, and the teacher and doctor who proclaimed salvation to the Gentiles (cf. Preface). Through the design of divine Providence they both came to Rome where they suffered martyrdom within a few years. From that time, the city that had been the capital of a great empire was called to a very different glory: to be the home of the Apostolic See that presides over the universal mission of the Church to spread throughout the world the Gospel of Christ, Redeemer of humanity and of history.
2. This year, today's Solemnity is gladdened by the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, whom I have just had the joy of welcoming and greeting. His welcome visit has a special reason: 40 years ago, to be precise, in January 1964, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I met in Jerusalem and exchanged a fraternal embrace. That embrace has become the symbol of the longed for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, as well as a prophecy of hope on the journey toward full unity among Christians.
I have invited Patriarch Bartholomew I to take part in Holy Mass at 6 p.m. later today in St Peter's Square, at which I will preside. Together we will give the homily and proclaim the common profession of faith.
During today's celebration I will also have the joy of conferring the "Pallium" upon the Metropolitan Archbishops appointed during the last year. The conferral of the Pallium is a traditional sign of communion between the See of Rome and the Churches scattered across the world, which fits beautifully into the context of the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul.
3. I especially entrust to the two eminent Patrons the beloved Diocese of Rome as well as the Capitoline civil community. As we invoke their intercession together with that of Mary Most Holy, Salus Populi Romani, let us pray that every man and every woman may accept the message of love for which Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom.
FAUSTI "He questioned His Disciples" So far the others questioned Him. Now it is He Who questions. Faith begins where we stop questioning the Lord, and accept to be questioned by Him. To each of our questions about Him corresponds our answer about Him, which reduces Him to the size of our questions. His question to us instead opens us to His Mystery. Faith is responsibility, ability-to-respond to the Lord who questions us. He is and always remains for us a mystery, on which we have neither answers nor images: the only answer is us who become to His image. To be questioned by Him and to respond to Him in the Spirit is the art and adventure of being man. God is the eternal question, man is the answer, in the measure in which he hears the Word and incarnates it in his own life. There is a saying, a generic and irresponsible speaking, which never corresponds to truth. In it, what is already known, or is presumed so, becomes the measure of everything. Our convictions veil the reality of the Son of man and of man himself, who is always greater than we can already know. "But who do you say I am? "I -AM humbly asking the disciples: "Who am I?" to introduce them into His Mystery. It is not a crisis of His identity: their identity is at stake. Jesus addresses the question to them with anxious expectation: to be recognized is the desire of the Love that reveals itself. The personal answer to this His question constitutes the disciple. Christianity is not an ideology, a doctrine, a morality, but my relationship with Jesus, the "My" Lord whom I love as He loves me. To the disciples it is asked first what men say and then what they say to them, to suggest that their response shouldn't be like that of others. Neither the flesh nor the blood, but only the Father can reveal the One Who is the Son... We are at the decisive turning-point of the Gospel: finally Peter and also those with him recognize Him as the Messiah and Son of God. Approaching to Him, from now on they will be able to receive the gift of that knowledge of Him that can be made only to those who love Him. Peter first answers to the question: Recognizes Him as the Christ and the Son of the living God; He is the expected Savior who fulfills every promise of heaven and desire of the earth, He is the unexpected Son of God, Who in every promise is compromised, gift beyond all desire. Jesus came to bring to us the gift of the Father, the Father as gift, so that we are all children and brothers. "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" That of Peter is the profession of Christian faith: Jesus is the Christ, the only Christ, He is the Son, the Only Begotten Son of the Father of life. To see in the Flesh of Jesus the Christ, Son of God, is the centre of revelation, it is to enter into the knowledge of the mystery of the Father/Son relationship, revealed to the little ones. From this response Peter is generated as a new man, sharer in the secret of God. "Blessed are you, Simon" That of Peter is the supreme Beatitude: by accepting the Son, he enters the Kingdom of the Father. He is the first one who receives the revelation of what is hidden to the wise and the intelligent. Peter sees how much the human eye has never seen: what God has prepared for those who love Him in the Flesh of the Son. Christianity is to know and love the person of Jesus. He is the Lord who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20). "To you I will give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven" Peter's faith is the key that opens the Kingdom. The promise is for the following time. God's fidelity guarantees Peter's faith, in which he will then confirm his brothers. Peter's role is that of the stone on which the Community that professes that faith is built.
-->On the strength of the gift of faith, it is given to Peter the pledge/commitment to say what conforms or does not conform to that faith, and, consequently, to declare who belongs or not to the Kingdom. To bind or dissolve means to prohibit and allow, to admit and exclude from the Community, authentically interpreting the Word. Authority in the Church is certainly not like that of the leaders of nations, but the authority of the Lord Himself, Who came to save and give Life. The Word of God lives and works in history by the power of the Spirit. Today, our age, marked by the fulfillment of freedom, which questions posed to the exercise of Peter's service? The answer given is of decisive importance not only for ecumenism, but also for the whole world, before which we are placed as a sign of unity, without this ever being at the detriment of truth and of freedom.
Reading 1
RispondiEliminaActs 12:1-11
In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.
He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
"It was the feast of Unleavened Bread."
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.
On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains,
was sleeping between two soldiers,
while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.
Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
"Get up quickly."
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals."
He did so.
Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me."
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
They passed the first guard, then the second,
and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They emerged and made their way down an alley,
and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said,
"Now I know for certain
that the Lord sent his angel
and rescued me from the hand of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.
Ps 34
:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
2 Tm
4:6-8, 17-18
I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel
Mt 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."
THE WORDS OF THE POPES
RispondiEliminaPOPE FRANCIS
ANGELUS 29 June 2024
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
In the Gospel today, Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Jesus says to Simon, whom he named Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16:19). This is why we often see Saint Peter depicted with two large keys in his hand, as in the statue here in this Square. Those keys represent the ministry of authority that Jesus entrusted to him at the service of all the Church. Because authority is a service, and authority that is not service is dictatorship.
Let us be careful, though, to understand well the meaning of this. Peter’s keys, in fact, are the keys of a Kingdom, which Jesus does not describe as a safe or a vault, but with other images: a tiny seed, a precious pearl, a hidden treasure, a handful of leaven (cf. Mt 13:1-33), that is, like something precious and rich, yes, but at the same time small and inconspicuous. To reach it, therefore, one does not need to activate mechanisms and safety locks, but to cultivate virtues such as patience, attention, constancy, humility, service.
Therefore, the mission that Jesus entrusts to Peter is not to bar the doors to the house, permitting entry only to a few select guests, but rather to help everyone find the way to enter, in faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus. Everyone, everyone, everyone can enter.
And Peter did this throughout his life, faithfully, until his martyrdom, after having been the first to experience for himself, not without fatigue and with many setbacks, the joy and the freedom that come from the encounter with the Lord. He was the first to have to convert, and to understand that authority is a service, in order to open the door to Jesus, and it was not easy for him. Let us think: just after saying to Jesus, “You are the Christ”, the Master had to reproach him, because he refused to accept the prophecy of his passion and his death by the cross (cf. Mt 16:21-23).
Peter received the keys to the Kingdom not because he was perfect, no — he was a sinner — but because he was humble, honest, and the Father had given him sincere faith (cf. Mt 16:17). Therefore, entrusting himself to God’s mercy, he was able to support and fortify his brethren too, as had been asked of him (cf. Lk 22:32).
Today we can ask ourselves, then: do I cultivate the desire to enter, with God’s grace, into his Kingdom, and to be, with his help, its welcoming guardian for others too? And to do so, do I let myself be “polished”, softened, modelled by Jesus and his Spirit, the Spirit who dwells in us, in each one of us?
May Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and the Saints, Peter and Paul, through their prayers, grant us to be guides and support to one another, for the encounter with the Lord Jesus.
___________________________________________
After the recitation of the Marian Prayer, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters, I greet all of you, who have come on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and I greet the people of Rome in a special way! Today I would like my greeting to reach all the inhabitants of Rome, all of them, together with my prayer: for families, especially those who struggle the most; for the elderly, those who are loneliest; for the sick, the imprisoned, and those who for various reasons are in difficulty. I hope that everyone may share the experience of Peter and Paul; namely that Jesus Christ’s love is life-saving and that it drives us to give our life to others and to do so with joy, with gratuitousness. Life cannot be sold...
I think with sorrow of the brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war: let us pray for all the populations wounded or threatened by fighting, that God may free them and support them in the struggle for peace. And I give thanks to God for the release of the two Greek Catholic priests. May all the prisoners of this war soon return home! Let us pray together: may all the prisoners return home.
I wish you all a happy feast day. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch.
The Gospel of today’s Liturgy, the Solemnity of the patron saints of Rome, reports the words that Peter addresses to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). It is a profession of faith, which Peter pronounces not on the basis of his human understanding, but because God the Father inspired it in him. (…) The Apostle Paul also had his own path, and he too passed through a slow maturation of faith, experiencing moments of uncertainty and doubt. (…) In the light of this experience of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, each of us can ask ourselves: when I profess my faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, do I do so with the awareness that I must always be learning, or do I assume that I “already have it all figured out”? And again: In difficulties and trials do I become discouraged, do I complain, or do I learn to make them an opportunity to grow in trust in the Lord? For He, in fact — Paul writes to Timothy — delivers us from all evil and brings us safely to heaven (cf. 2 Tim 4:18). May the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, teach us to imitate them by progressing day by day on the path of peace. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 29 June 2022)
EliminaBENEDICT XVI
RispondiEliminaANGELUS 29 June 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are celebrating with joy the liturgical Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a Feast that accompanies the 2,000-year-old history of the Christian people. They are called the pillars of the nascent Church. Outstanding witnesses of the faith who spread the Kingdom of God with their various gifts and, following the example of the Divine Master, they sealed their Gospel preaching with blood. Their martyrdom is a sign of the Church’s unity, as St Augustine says: “Only one day is consecrated to the Feast of the two Apostles. But they too are only one. Although they were martyred on different days they were one. Peter came first and Paul followed” (Disc. 295, 8: PL 38, 1352).
The Vatican Basilica and this square, so important to Christianity, are an eloquent sign of Peter’s sacrifice. Significant traces even remain in our City of the martyrdom of Paul, especially the Basilica dedicated to him on the Ostian Way. Rome has engraved in its history signs of the glorious life and death of the humble Fisherman from Galilee and the Apostle to the Gentiles, who have been rightly chosen as Protectors. In recalling their luminous testimony, we remember the venerable beginnings of the Church which believes, prays and announces Christ the Redeemer in Rome. But Sts Peter and Paul shine not only in the sky of Rome but also in the hearts of all believers who, illuminated by their teaching and their example, walk in every part of the world on the path of faith, hope and love.
On this path of salvation, the Christian community, supported by the presence of the Spirit of the living God, feels encouraged to move forward with strength and serenity on the road of fidelity to Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel to men and women in every era. On this fruitful route, spiritual and missionary, we situate the conferral of the Pallium on the Metropolitan Archbishops, which I performed this morning in the Basilica. An ever eloquent rite which highlights the intimate communion of Pastors with the Successor of Peter and the deep bond that links us to the Apostolic Tradition. It is a double treasure of holiness where unity and the catholicity of the Church are fused together: a precious treasure to rediscover and to live with renewed enthusiasm and constant commitment.
Dear pilgrims, come here from every part of the world! On this Feast day, we pray with the phrases from the Eastern Liturgy: “Praise to Peter and Paul, two great lights of the Church; may they shine in the firmament of the faith”. In this climate, I would like to address a special thought to the Delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople which, as every year, has come to take part in our traditional celebrations. May the Holy Virgin lead all believers in Christ to the goal of full unity!
JOHN PAUL II
RispondiEliminaANGELUS 29 June 2004
1. The Church is celebrating the feast day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul: the fisherman of Galilee who first professed faith in Christ, and the teacher and doctor who proclaimed salvation to the Gentiles (cf. Preface). Through the design of divine Providence they both came to Rome where they suffered martyrdom within a few years. From that time, the city that had been the capital of a great empire was called to a very different glory: to be the home of the Apostolic See that presides over the universal mission of the Church to spread throughout the world the Gospel of Christ, Redeemer of humanity and of history.
2. This year, today's Solemnity is gladdened by the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, whom I have just had the joy of welcoming and greeting. His welcome visit has a special reason: 40 years ago, to be precise, in January 1964, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I met in Jerusalem and exchanged a fraternal embrace. That embrace has become the symbol of the longed for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, as well as a prophecy of hope on the journey toward full unity among Christians.
I have invited Patriarch Bartholomew I to take part in Holy Mass at 6 p.m. later today in St Peter's Square, at which I will preside. Together we will give the homily and proclaim the common profession of faith.
During today's celebration I will also have the joy of conferring the "Pallium" upon the Metropolitan Archbishops appointed during the last year. The conferral of the Pallium is a traditional sign of communion between the See of Rome and the Churches scattered across the world, which fits beautifully into the context of the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul.
3. I especially entrust to the two eminent Patrons the beloved Diocese of Rome as well as the Capitoline civil community. As we invoke their intercession together with that of Mary Most Holy, Salus Populi Romani, let us pray that every man and every woman may accept the message of love for which Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom.
FAUSTI "He questioned His Disciples" So far the others questioned Him. Now it is He Who questions. Faith begins where we stop questioning the Lord, and accept to be questioned by Him.
RispondiEliminaTo each of our questions about Him corresponds our answer about Him,
which reduces Him to the size of our questions.
His question to us instead opens us to His Mystery.
Faith is responsibility, ability-to-respond to the Lord who questions us.
He is and always remains for us a mystery, on which we have neither answers nor images: the only answer is us who become to His image.
To be questioned by Him and to respond to Him in the Spirit is the art and adventure of being man.
God is the eternal question, man is the answer, in the measure in which he hears the Word and incarnates it in his own life.
There is a saying, a generic and irresponsible speaking, which never corresponds to truth. In it, what is already known, or is presumed so, becomes the measure of everything. Our convictions veil the reality of the Son of man and of man himself, who is always greater than we can already know.
"But who do you say I am? "I -AM humbly asking the disciples:
"Who am I?" to introduce them into His Mystery. It is not a crisis of His identity: their identity is at stake.
Jesus addresses the question to them with anxious expectation: to be recognized is the desire of the Love that reveals itself. The personal answer to this His question constitutes the disciple.
Christianity is not an ideology, a doctrine, a morality, but my relationship with Jesus, the "My" Lord whom I love as He loves me.
To the disciples it is asked first what men say and then what they say to them, to suggest that their response shouldn't be like that of others.
Neither the flesh nor the blood, but only the Father can reveal the One Who is the Son...
We are at the decisive turning-point of the Gospel: finally Peter and also those with him recognize Him as the Messiah and Son of God.
Approaching to Him, from now on they will be able to receive the gift of that knowledge of Him that can be made only to those who love Him. Peter first answers to the question: Recognizes Him as the Christ and the Son of the living God; He is the expected Savior who fulfills every promise of heaven and desire of the earth, He is the unexpected Son of God, Who in every promise is compromised, gift beyond all desire. Jesus came to bring to us the gift of the Father, the Father as gift, so that we are all children and brothers.
"You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" That of Peter is the profession of Christian faith: Jesus is the Christ, the only Christ, He is the Son, the Only Begotten Son of the Father of life.
To see in the Flesh of Jesus the Christ, Son of God, is the centre of revelation, it is to enter into the knowledge of the mystery of the Father/Son relationship, revealed to the little ones.
From this response Peter is generated as a new man, sharer in the secret of God.
"Blessed are you, Simon" That of Peter is the supreme Beatitude: by accepting the Son, he enters the Kingdom of the Father. He is the first one who receives the revelation of what is hidden to the wise and the intelligent.
Peter sees how much the human eye has never seen: what God has prepared for those who love Him in the Flesh of the Son.
Christianity is to know and love the person of Jesus.
He is the Lord who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20).
"To you I will give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven" Peter's faith is the key that opens the Kingdom.
The promise is for the following time. God's fidelity guarantees Peter's faith, in which he will then confirm his brothers.
Peter's role is that of the stone on which the Community that professes that faith is built.
-->On the strength of the gift of faith, it is given to Peter the pledge/commitment to say what conforms or does not conform to that faith, and, consequently, to declare who belongs or not to the Kingdom. To bind or dissolve means to prohibit and allow, to admit and exclude from the Community, authentically interpreting the Word.
EliminaAuthority in the Church is certainly not like that of the leaders of nations, but the authority of the Lord Himself, Who came to save and give Life.
The Word of God lives and works in history by the power of the Spirit.
Today, our age, marked by the fulfillment of freedom, which
questions posed to the exercise of Peter's service?
The answer given is of decisive importance not only for ecumenism, but also for the whole world, before which we are placed as a sign of unity, without this ever being at the detriment of truth and of freedom.