| Immaculate Conception & St Joseph's Christchurch |
Holy Redeemer Highcliffe |
Our Lady Queen of Peace Southbourne |
St Thomas Moore Boscombe East |
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28th June: St Peter and St Paul (B)
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Both of these apostles died in Rome during the Christian persecution of Emperor Nero (64-68 A.D.). Peter’s way to Rome to establish that city which was the heart of the Roman Empire was stopping a short time in Antioch and then on to Rome. Paul’s itinerary is more complicated as he was involved with four missionary trips, the last being taken to Rome as a prisoner.
The readings emphasize Simon Peter’s role in the Church as established by Jesus in the gospel reading. Simon responded to the Lord’s query, “Who do you say that I am?” His answer was the strong affirmation that “you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” The words usually used for ‘the Messiah’ is ‘the Christ’ but both mean the same: the anointed one in Hebrew is ‘the Messiah’ and in Greek is ‘the Christ’.
The Messiah is the anointed king, like King David, who will save the Jews from their oppressors. Before the resurrection this meant for the ordinary Jew that the Messiah would be a king who would drive the Romans out of their land given to them by Yahweh.
The Jewish people had lived 1,000 years since King David and prayed and waited for a savior. When Jesus came he was not recognized as their Messiah, their warrior king, but instead most Jews were still waiting for their savior, for the Messiah. The gospels speak of the longing that the Jews had for the warrior king who would free their hold and its people from the foreign occupier.
When Simon recognized Jesus as this special prophet sent by God, he proclaimed that he was the Messiah. And Jesus then changed his name from Simon to Peter which in Greek meant “solid rock.” Jesus promised to establish his Church on this ‘rock’ (on Peter) and gave him the powers to do this; “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.”
In our readings today we notice that both Peter and Paul have suffered much to witness to the Lord. We reflect on our own lives and see that we also have difficult times and circumstances with which we must deal. To celebrate this solemnity of the church’s greatest Apostles, we need also to trust in the Lord’s presence and his saving action.
A special note is important that we recognize our popes as the successors to St. Peter who was commissioned by Jesus to lead the Church. “Simon, son of Jonah” was blessed by Jesus because his insight about who Jesus really was came from his heavenly Father. May we also be open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that we live a faithful life in union with the whole Church and our Pope.
L Gillick SJ
The Man Born Blind (The Gospel from the 4th Sunday of Lent)
This is the re-telling of the Gospel by John Shea that Fr Danny read out during the homily on the 4th Sunday of Lent.
Another time Jesus smeared God like mud on the eyes of a man born blind and pushed him toward the pool of Siloam. The blind man splashed his eyes and stared in to the rippling reflection of the face he had only felt. First he did a handstand, then a cartwheel, and rounded off his joy with a series of summersaults.
He ran to his neighbors, singing the news. They said, "You look like the blind beggar but we cannot be sure." The problem was never that he was blind and could not look out but that they could see and did not look in. "I am the one, the seeing blind!"
They seized him in mid cartwheel and dragged him to the authorities. "What do you think of the man who made the mud?" But the man born blind was staring at a green vase. His mouth was open slightly as if he was being fed by its color. "He is a sinner," said a priest who knew what pleased God's eyes. "Can one who lights candles in the eyes of night not have the fire of God in his hands?" said the man fondling the green vase. The priests murmured and sent for his parents who looked their son straight in his new eyes and said, "Looks like our son. But he is old enough to speak for himself." Off the hook they hurried home. "All I know," said the man with the green vase tucked under his robe, "is that I was blind and now I see." But with his new eyes came a turbulence in his soul as if the man who calmed one sea turned another to storm. So before those who locked knowledge in a small room and kept the key on a string around their neck he launched into a theology of sin and salvation. It was then that the full horror of the miracle visited the priests. "You, steeped in sin, lecture us!" They tore him from the podium and threw him into the street where a man was rubbing mud from his hands. "How did it go?" "I talked back." The man with new eyes took in every laughing line on the face of the Son who was as happy as a free man dancing on the far side of the Red Sea.
Pope Benecit's Encyclical
Here is a link to Pope Benedict's encyclical letter that Fr Des recommended to us all at Mass
“SPE SALVI facti sumus” — in hope we were saved
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 30 November, the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, in the year 2007, the third of Pope Benedict's Pontificate.
On 4th November 2007 we were visited by a speaker from the Aid to the Church in Neeed pastoral charity.
Their website has lots of information and inspiring reports from various countries.
Aid to the Church in Need
Early in November 2006 we were visited by Fr Thomas O'Reilly of the Columban Missionaries. Have a look at the Columban Missionaries website to find out more about their calling.
The Columbans are priests, sisters and laity called by the Church to proclaim and witness to the Good News in Jesus Christ of full Christian liberation and reconciliation of all peoples through the sharing of life and service with peoples of other cultures and faith traditions.
As Catholics we have a duty to share and spread our faith through word and action.
But how can we do it?
Have a look at the CASE website.