Have you seen the actual wooden chair in Rome (now enclosed in a sculpted bronze casing) that some believe was used by St. Peter, the first pope? While we do not know for certain that he sat on it, this chair represents the unbroken succession of popes over the past 2,000 years.  

Caesarea Philippi sat atop a huge hill, with a cliff of solid rock on one side – it was magnificent and seemed invincible. It is here that Peter proclaims Jesus as the Christ, and here that the Lord chooses to reveal that His Church will be invincible, founded on the rock of Peter, who is given authority to rule in Jesus’ Name.

Five words spoken by Jesus Christ in this setting reveal that the Son of God DID come to establish a Church: He says clearly that on this rock “I will build my Church.” The authority given to Peter is symbolized by the “keys of the Kingdom” (given in ancient Israel to the King’s master of the palace), and the “binding and loosing” (the authority of the Jewish synagogue leader to expel and reinstate people to the synagogue to preserve its moral integrity). These words held profound weight to His listeners, who understood well the responsibility Jesus was giving to the Church community, with Peter as head shepherd. 

This was confirmed after Jesus’ Resurrection, when He told Peter to feed His lambs and tend His sheep; these are the tasks of a shepherd, not of the flock. On Pentecost, Peter takes on the fullness of his responsibility when he initiates the evangelization of the world by speaking boldly to the crowds gathered. He has been given the supreme pastoral office, to be handed on throughout the centuries to the present day.

We can forget that the Kingdom is truly present on earth in the Church, and that the popes are Christ’s vicars to the world. We can also forget that the way of the Church is the way of Christ, which is the Way of the Cross, through which victory over sin and death is won. 28 of the first 33 popes were martyred, as were many of the early Christians!

While it is true that popes are also sinners, and that fallen human nature can sometimes abuse the authority of this role (there have certainly been a few problematic leaders and a few “anti-popes”), no pope has ever spoken erroneously when speaking with the full authority of this role as leader of the Church “ex cathedra” (meaning “from the chair”). In fact, most have led the Church with humility and courage; 83 popes are recognized as Saints and nine as Blesseds.

Today, let us give thanks that divine Providence has promised to these frail human instruments the security of the Holy Spirit to conserve and pass on the Truth, which is Christ.

Contact the author

¿Has visto la silla de madera que se encuentra en Roma (ahora encerrada en una carcasa de bronce esculpido) que algunos creen que utilizó San Pedro, el primer papa? Si bien no sabemos con certeza si se sentó en ella, esta silla representa la sucesión ininterrumpida de papas durante los últimos 2000 años.

Cesarea de Filipo se encontraba en la cima de una enorme colina, con un acantilado de roca sólida a un lado; era magnífica y parecía invencible. Es aquí donde Pedro proclama a Jesús como el Cristo, y es aquí donde el Señor elige revelar que Su Iglesia será invencible, fundada sobre la roca de Pedro, a quien se le da autoridad para gobernar en el Nombre de Jesús.

Tres palabras pronunciadas por Jesucristo en este contexto revelan que el Hijo de Dios SÍ vino a establecer una Iglesia: dice claramente que sobre esta roca “edificaré mi Iglesia”. La autoridad dada a Pedro está simbolizada por las “llaves del Reino” (entregadas en el antiguo Israel al amo del palacio del rey), y el “atar y desatar” (la autoridad del líder de la sinagoga judía para expulsar y readmitir a la gente en la sinagoga para preservar su integridad moral). Estas palabras tenían un profundo peso para sus oyentes, quienes comprendían bien la responsabilidad que Jesús estaba dando a la comunidad de la Iglesia, con Pedro como pastor principal.

Esto se confirmó después de la Resurrección de Jesús, cuando le dijo a Pedro que apacentara sus corderos y cuidara sus ovejas; estas son las tareas de un pastor, no del rebaño. En Pentecostés, Pedro asume la plenitud de su responsabilidad cuando inicia la evangelización del mundo hablando con valentía a las multitudes reunidas. Se le ha dado el supremo oficio pastoral, que debe transmitirse a través de los siglos hasta el día de hoy.

Podemos olvidar que el Reino está realmente presente en la tierra en la Iglesia, y que los papas son los vicarios de Cristo en el mundo. También podemos olvidar que el camino de la Iglesia es el camino de Cristo, que es el Camino de la Cruz, a través del cual se obtiene la victoria sobre el pecado y la muerte. 28 de los primeros 33 papas fueron martirizados, como lo fueron muchos de los primeros cristianos.

Si bien es cierto que los papas también son pecadores, y que la naturaleza humana caída a veces puede abusar de la autoridad de este papel (ciertamente ha habido algunos líderes problemáticos y algunos “antipapas”), ningún papa ha hablado erróneamente cuando habla con la plena autoridad de este papel como líder de la Iglesia “ex cathedra” (es decir, “desde la silla”). De hecho, la mayoría de ellos han guiado a la Iglesia con humildad y valor; 83 papas son reconocidos como santos y nueve como beatos.

Hoy, demos gracias porque la divina Providencia ha prometido a estos frágiles instrumentos humanos la seguridad del Espíritu Santo para conservar y transmitir la Verdad, que es Cristo.

Comunicarse con la autora

We live in a post-Christian world. We live in a world that is turning its back on Jesus Christ and his message of love and salvation, a world that denies the supernatural Truth of God. Similar to those in the first reading who said “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves,” this is a world where people focus on themselves and what makes them happy. Good and bad is relative to what people feel is good and bad. We live in a world where Christianity is mocked (remember the Olympic opening ceremony?) and Catholics are hated because we believe marriage is between a man and a woman and that killing unborn babies is not women’s healthcare. 

You, like me, have probably experienced this post Christian viewpoint. I have friends and co-workers who think I’m nuts for encouraging my children to remain chaste until marriage. They think I’m weird because I invite priests, deacons, and sisters to have meals at my house. They don’t understand why I wake up early to go to daily Mass. 

It would be easy to be ashamed of my beliefs. I will admit that it’s often hard to speak them because I want to be liked and respected. I see the eye rolls and the looks that cross people’s  faces. But when I read this Gospel where Jesus says: “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory” and I talk to other friends who have decided to keep Christ at the center of their lives, I am fortified. When I receive the Eucharist, I am emboldened because I am reminded that it’s not those eye-rolling people that I live for. It’s Jesus. He’s the one who loves me like crazy and the one who sacrificed so I can be in heaven with Him for eternity. He’s the one I love so much that sometimes it brings me to tears. How can I be ashamed of love? And how much would it hurt if He was ashamed of me?

God gives all of us what we need to navigate this world that is ashamed of Him. If we ask, He gives us words for those times we encounter the eye roll or the “look.” He gives us his Body and Blood every day if we want. He gives us people to walk this journey with and He gives us hope. We can know with certainty that this life, this beautiful challenging life, is a foretaste of the extreme joy of the life to come. God is so good!

Contact the author

Vivimos en un mundo post-cristiano. Vivimos en un mundo que le está dando la espalda a Jesucristo y su mensaje de amor y salvación, un mundo que niega la verdad sobrenatural de Dios. Semejante a aquellos en la primera lectura que dijeron: “Construyamos una ciudad y una torre que llegue hasta el cielo, para hacernos famosos”, este es un mundo donde la gente se centra en sí misma y en lo que la hace feliz. El bien y el mal son relativos a lo que la gente siente que es bueno y malo. Vivimos en un mundo donde se burlan del cristianismo (¿te acuerdas de la ceremonia de apertura de las Olimpiadas?) y los católicos son odiados porque creemos que el matrimonio es entre un hombre y una mujer y que matar a los bebés no nacidos no es atención médica para las mujeres.

Tú, como yo, probablemente has experimentado este punto de vista post-cristiano. Tengo amigos y compañeros de trabajo que piensan que soy loca por motivar a mis hijos a permanecer castos hasta el matrimonio. Piensan que soy rara porque invito a sacerdotes, diáconos y hermanas a comer en mi casa. No entienden por qué me levanto temprano para ir a misa entre semana.

Sería fácil avergonzarme de mis creencias. Confieso que a menudo es difícil expresarlas porque quiero ser querida y respetada. Veo los ojos en blanco y las miradas que cruzan los rostros de las personas. Pero cuando leo este Evangelio donde Jesús dice: “Si alguien se avergüenza de mí y de mis palabras ante esta gente, idólatra y pecadora, también el Hijo del hombre se avergonzará de él, cuando venga con la gloria de su Padre” y hablo con otros amigos que han decidido mantener a Cristo en el centro de sus vidas, me siento fortalecida. Cuando recibo la Eucaristía, me entra más valor porque me hace acordar que no es por esas personas que ponen los ojos en blanco por quienes vivo. Es por Jesús. Es Él quien me ama con locura y quien se sacrificó para que yo pueda estar en el cielo con Él por toda la eternidad. Es Él a quien amo tanto que a veces me hace llorar. ¿Cómo puedo avergonzarme del amor? ¿Y cuánto me dolería si Él se avergonzara de mí?

Dios nos da a todos lo que necesitamos para transitar este mundo que se avergüenza de Él. Si se lo pedimos, nos da palabras para esos momentos en que nos encontramos con la mirada de disgusto o de desaprobación. Nos da su Cuerpo y su Sangre todos los días si queremos. Nos da personas con las que recorrer este camino y nos da esperanza. Podemos saber con certeza que esta vida, esta vida hermosa y desafiante, es un anticipo de la alegría intensa de la vida por venir. ¡Dios es tan bueno!

Comunicarse con la autora

When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

Contact the author

Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

Comunicarse con el autor

“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

Contact the author