Reading 1 1 Pt 5:1-4
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 Psalm PS 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6
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.
Verse Before the Gospel Mt 16:18
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
Gospel Mt 16:13-19
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.”
JESUS' GIFT OF THE PAPACY
"I for My part declare to you, you are 'Rock,' and on this rock I will build My church." –Matthew 16:18
Jesus made Peter the head of the apostles. Did Jesus intend for someone to succeed Peter as the head of the apostles? The early Church believed Jesus wanted Peter to have successors, and they were in a better position to know Jesus' will than we are. Moreover, there is no Biblical data to deny the continuation of Peter's ministry as the head of the apostles.
Why did Jesus tell the Church to choose successors to Peter? Although the Church is founded on the apostles and their successors, the bishops (Eph 2:20; Rv 21:14), the bishops have not always been united in teaching the faith. For example, the majority of the bishops denied the divinity of Jesus during the time of the Arian heresy. During the English "Reformation," every English bishop except St. John Fisher gave allegiance to the heresy that King Henry VIII was the head of the Church. Without a pope, we don't always know what the Church teaches. Without a pope, the Church sometimes would not be what it is supposed to be, "the pillar and bulwark of truth" (1 Tm 3:15).
How is the Pope called to lead the bishops and the Church? He is to exercise authority, for Jesus has given him the keys of God's kingdom (Mt 16:19). He is to give the Church "a shepherd's care" (1 Pt 5:2), "not lording it over" the Church (1 Pt 5:3).
Love and obey the Pope. Pray for him daily. Thank Jesus for giving him to us.
| PRAYER: | Jesus, may I love the Church and the Pope as You do. |
| PROMISE: | "When the chief Shepherd appears you will win for yourselves the unfading crown of glory." –1 Pt 5:4 |
| PRAISE: | "The people carried the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mattresses, so that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them...all of whom were cured" (Acts 5:15-16). |
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