| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Trudie" |
| Date: |
29 Jun 2007 09:39:40 AM |
| Object: |
- 1 Peter 5:5-6 - |
- 1 Peter 5:5-6 -
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you,
clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's
mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Both young and old can benefit from Peter's instructions. Pride often keeps
older people from trying to understand young people and keeps young people from
listening to those who are older. Peter told both young and old to be humble and
to serve each other. Young people should follow the leadership of older people,
who should lead by example. Respect those who are older than you, listen to
those younger than you, and be humble enough to admit that you can learn from
each other.
<<>><<>><<>>
June 29th - Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul
Sts. Peter and Paul always listen to the prayers of their devotees. Time has not
diminished their power, and from Heaven - even more than when they were on
earth - they do not abandon the interests of the Church or neglect the least of
the inhabitants of this glorious earthly City of God, of which they were and
remain princes.
One of the triumphs of the Devil in our times is to have dulled the faith of
good people in this regard. It is necessary to insist that man awake from this
deathlike sleep that makes us forget that Our Lord wanted these two saints to
continue His work and represent Him visibly on earth.
St. Ambrose extols the continuing, vibrant apostolic mission of the Church, and
expresses with profundity and delicacy the roles of Ss. Peter and Paul in the
salvation of the elect. The Church, he says, is the ship from which Peter
fishes, and for this labor at times he receives an order to use the hook, and at
other times, the net. It is a great mystery, for this fishing is entirely
supernatural. While the net does not harm the fish, the hook wounds it; the net
takes in multitudes, the hook catches a single fish. The good fish does not
resist the hook of Peter because it does not kill, but rather converts.
Fortunate the gash that permits one to profess the same faith of Peter!
It is for this reason that Jesus told Peter: ""Put out into the deep water, and
let down the nets for a catch" (Luke 5:1) "Put out into the deep water" - that
is, go to the very depths of the hearts of men. 'Put out into the deep water" -
go to Christ, the source of living waters of wisdom and knowledge.
Peter continues to fish every day. Our Lord tells him: "Put out into the deep
water." But one seems to hear Peter replying: "Master, we have worked all night
with no result." Peter suffers when we are hard-hearted. Paul is also fighting
for our souls. Didn't he tell us that no one suffers without him also suffering?
We should act in a way that does not make the Apostles suffer.
Comments of late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)
These are very beautiful words. Let us consider some of the thoughts in them.
First, the selection makes an interesting remark about how Divine Providence
permitted the faith of many good people to be dulled regarding the roles that
St. Peter and St. Paul exercise in Heaven. This is true. Devotion to the
Apostles has diminished a great deal, except for devotion to St. Jude Thaddeus,
who was an almost unknown Apostle and for a time even raised some suspicion
because people thought that this Judas might be Judas Iscariot, also a member of
the College of Apostles. Except for the devotion to St. Jude, who became the
patron of the impossible, devotion to the other Apostles decreased a great deal.
This diminishment is completely unreasonable since it is evident that the
mission of the Apostles did not diminish with time. On the contrary, we know
that their mission continues now and will continue until the end of time. They
were not Apostles for just one epoch. They were not men who saved souls in the
first days of the Church, and then went to Heaven where they do nothing. They
are there now with Our Lord Jesus Christ watching and exercising a role over the
entire Church.
The apostolate they made in their times was a seed they planted that contained
the apostolate of all epochs. From Heaven they continue to nurture and develop
it. Therefore, devotion to them is a necessary thing, and this selection gives
us an opportunity to recommend ourselves to St. Peter and St. Paul, to pray to
them, and to increase our devotion to them.
Second, the selection seems to insinuate a difference between the apostolate of
St. Peter - made with a hook - and the one of St. Paul - made with a net. The
distinction between these two different methods of apostolate is useful. The
apostolate of the net is meant to catch a large number of people; the apostolate
of the hook is destined to catch this or that particular person.
Third, the text speaks beautifully of the apostolate of hook, saying that the
hook wounds the mouth of the fish, but by means of this gash he pays the price
of his conversion. There are conversions that are very difficult, that are only
possible through great sacrifices and sufferings. The blood exacted by the great
effort is the price paid to be a part of the Catholic Church. This is a normal
characteristic of the apostolate of the hook.
There are conversions, however, that are painless. In the Middle Age, for
example, we have the marvelous examples of the conversions of Kings who brought
entire nations with them: the kingdom of the Franks came to the Church with
Clovis, the Hungarians with St. Stephen, the Polish with Boleslaus, the
Ukrainians with St. Vladimir, and so on. These were apostolates of the net that
brought a multitude of souls without any special suffering.
Fourth, another beautiful part of this selection speaks of the apostolate when
it is without fruit. St. Peter and St. Paul experienced enormous difficulties in
their apostolates, and also enjoyed times of extraordinary successes. They were
not easy labors with "happy endings." It was hard work along rocky paths that
required much prayer and supernatural help in order to go forward. Without this
help, the apostolate is fruitless.
We should remember this in our own apostolate. We should keep in mind that St.
Peter's fished all night and was unsuccessful. But when he asked Our Lord for
help, the net was lifted from the water filled with fish.
This reference to the miraculous catch serves to help increase our humility and
supernatural spirit. Without supernatural assistance, without the help of God
through the intercession of Our Lady, our apostolate will be fruitless.
We see that this results in a greater glory for Our Lady and should raise in us
the desire to draw closer to her. She who is our very amiable Mother and an
all-powerful supplicant before God, she who with her prayer can attain
everything that she requests.
Saint Quote :
If you wish for a method brief and compendious, one which contains in itself all
other methods and is most efficacious in conquering all temptations and
difficulties, and acquiring perfection, this is the exercise of the presence of
God.
-St. Basil
Bible Quote:
The just shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in him: and all the upright
in heart shall be praised.
(Psalms 63:11)
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The prayer of Saint Francis:
j
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there be hatred, let me sow love;
Where there be injury, pardon;
Where there be discord, unity;
Where there be doubt, faith;
Where there be despair, hope;
Where there be darkness, light;
Where there be sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we be pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
.
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