By Fr. Roy Cimagala
June 29 was the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, two prominent apostles who, together with the others, are considered as the pillars of the Church. St. Peter is known as the “Prince of the Apostles,” while St. Paul is the special vessel chosen by Christ to be the “Apostle of the Gentiles.”
The solemnity is a good occasion to remind us that our faith, while a supernatural gift from God, has to be understood the way the apostles received, understood, and taught it. It’s also an occasion to realize more deeply the divinely-guaranteed continuity between the apostles and their successors—the Popes and bishops.
Despite the human weaknesses that we all have and the apostles did as well, that continuity that links us to Christ all throughout time is kept.
That’s simply because Christ said so. Remember that time Christ gave St. Peter the keys to heaven. From the gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 16, we have this dramatic scene: “And you,” Jesus asked the apostles, “who do you say that I am?” “You are the Messiah,” Simon Peter answered, “the Son of the living God!”
Jesus replied, “Blest are you, Simon son of John! No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. I for my part declare to you, you are ‘Rock,’ and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it.
“I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We need to meditate on these words often to strengthen our faith in the apostles and their successors, especially when some quarters start to doubt their integrity and fidelity.
Today, for example, some people casting doubt as to whether Pope Francis is faithful to his offices. They remind me of those who split from the Church and formed their own sects or cults because they accused some Popes in the past and other Church leaders of straying from the right path. They even described those Popes as the Antichrist.
It’s like saying these people have cracked the mystery regarding who or what this Antichrist really was, and boldly presented themselves as the Messiah or the savior of humanity.
It’s a pity because what we know is that Christ founded only one church and that he has guaranteed of continuity that despite our human weaknesses, the gates of hell, the jaws of death cannot prevail against it.
In the history of the Church the weaknesses of men, including those on the top positions in the Church, always comes out. But Christ assured us everything will be all right. They keys to heaven have been given to some men, regardless of their weaknesses.
We know that St. Peter himself wasn’t a perfect man. He had weaknesses, and in some instances was even scolded by Christ. St. Paul talked about the thorn of the flesh that he was bearing. We can imagine how the other apostles were.
What we have to do is to fully trust in God’s providence especially where the Church leadership is concerned. If there’s something to clarify, we can always bring it up, but always in the spirit of charity and filial piety.
Let’s always remember that there will always be mysteries in our life, in the world and in the Church. They may overwhelm us at times, but if we hold on to Christ and what he has left us, everything will just be taken care of!
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
