Despite his frailties, Peter became 1st pope

By BEL R. SAN LUIS, SVD

THERE’s a joke that Peter had a grudge against Jesus, denying Him three times all because He healed his mother-in-law!

Despite his frailties, Jesus called Simon Peter “Rock” in this 21st Sunday’s gospel, He was implying that he was solid and firm.

But looking closely, the nickname given to him was unlikely for Peter was everything but rock-like. He was so weak that he did not
only abandon his Master, but even denied ever knowing Him during His dark moments.

Peter’s weakness is likewise highlighted in the story entitled “Quo Vadis” made into a movie after some years. When persecution of the
early Christians broke out in Rome, Peter developed cold feet. He tried to flee, leaving behind those gallant Christians to be tortured and
fed to the lions for public spectacles.

As he sneaked out through the Via Appia, he is said to have met Jesus walking in the opposite direction. Surprised, he asked the
Lord, “Where are You going?” (“Quo vadis?” in Latin). His reply, “To Rome… to be crucified again.”

This hit Peter like a thunderbolt. It dawned on him, albeit embarrassingly, that if he must follow Christ, he must face the cross as his
Master had done. Thus Peter returned to Rome and, like Christ, he was crucified – but upside down because he deemed himself unworthy
to be crucified like Jesus.

When I was in Rome, I learned that a church called “Quo Vadis” was erected to mark the legendary spot where Peter met Christ.

What’s amusing is that just across it is a “ristorante.” The apocryphal story has it that after that fateful meeting with the Lord on
Via Appia, the scared Peter had to take a few shots of wine there to calm his nerves.

But why is it that Jesus chose Simon to be the solid, firm foundation of His Church and leader of His disciples?

If love and loyalty were the basis for leadership, it would have gone to John, who stood by Him up to end on Calvary.

The main reason could not be Peter’s character of his strength, but the strength of his faith. Deep down he knew himself to be
weak and imperfect, hence he was convinced that his total security could only come from a power greater than his own.

Peter’s story illustrates how the Lord entrusted the Church He founded in the hands of imperfect humans.

Just as there were holy and virtuous church leaders, there were also some who did not have the right virtues to lead; even today, there are
some priests and bishops who, by their misconduct and indiscretion, have caused grave scandal.

But through all the good and the bad, the Church has withstood the violent storms that have threatened it because it is founded on
rock, proving Christ’s words in today’s gospel: “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).

Another inspiring message is that for all the human imperfection of Peter, we poor mortals can identify with him because we, too, have our
own embarrassing faults and failures.

And like Peter, we too can rise from our human weaknesses — with the help of a Higher Power.

ASK YOURSELF: After you’ve fallen down, do you strive to rise and reform yourself? Do you have enough faith to hold on to the
Lord even after you’ve sinned and let Him down?

If the answer is no, then let’s learn from the example of St. Peter.

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Moments
You, yes you!

By Fr. Jerry Orbos

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:40:00 08/23/2008

MANILA, Philippines—The story is told about a man who was robbed and was almost killed. When asked if he sought the help of the
police, he said he sent a text message to the police station, but all he got was this response: “Hu u?”

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 16, 13-20) Jesus first asks His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of man is?” After getting different responses,
He ends by asking them, “But who do you say that I am?” The bottom line is that religion is not so much about doctrines, traditions, or
devotions but more of a personal relationship with God. As someone once pointed out, the word “CH_RCH” is incomplete if “U” are not in
it.

The word “you” appears nine times in today’s gospel. This underlines the importance of personal commitment and personal involvement
without which religion becomes just an ideal, a burden, or just a show. At the end of our lives, when we come face to face with our Creator,
may we be given the grace to say in all humility: “Lord, you know I really tried to love you in my lifetime.” Amen!
A personal relationship must lead to mission and action. A cozy-cozy, nice-nice romantic feeling is necessary to start and to maintain a
relationship, but a relationship too caught up in itself soon dies. Love must overflow into concrete actions. Love cannot be exclusive. It
must be expressive.

Today, ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. What for? Whom for? Let us remember and keep reminding ourselves that our
greatest agenda in this world are not things, but people, and that what matters most in the end is not what we hold in our hands but what we
hold in our hearts.

Every once in a while, we hear from the media about some people who would climb up a tall building or a tower to call attention to
themselves or to their cause. Some of them may be mentally or emotionally disturbed, but the message is clear: “I am here. I am a person. I
desperately need to be heard and listened to!” Make sure that no one in your life is about to climb up a building or a tower, just because
you are not listening.

While some people are desperately shouting “I am here!” there is one person I know who is joyfully shouting “I am still here!” Last Aug.
21, 2008, we honored with a Mass and dinner at our SVD Retirement House Fr. Wim Van Kuijk, SVD on his 70th priestly anniversary.
Father Wim from Holland is 97 years old, the oldest living member of the Philippine SVD. He arrived in the Philippines in 1938. That’s 70
years of priestly and fatherly presence wherever he was assigned. He is still a lively presence in the retirement house, moving around in his
wheelchair or sitting in front of his computer in his room, but most especially, absorbed in deep prayer at the chapel. Father Wim is hard of
hearing (lots of people go to him for confessions!), and is also hardly understandable when he speaks, but his whole life is one big, loud
and clear message and one powerful witnessing to the love and faithfulness of God. What an inspiration!

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, remind me of the importance of the You in others, and the You that is You. Amen.

Moments

Image

By: Fr. Jerry M. Orbos

Philippine Daily Inquirer

3:28 am | Sunday, August 21st, 2011

The story is told about an elderly man with a bloated ego who asked the trainer in a gym what machine he should use in order to impress all
the beautiful girls around him. The trainer’s answer was: “Sir, at your age, the most effective machine for you to use is the ATM machine
outside the gym.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 16, 13-20), Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of man is?” Not that He had a self-image
problem, He just wanted to know from His very own disciples what they really thought about Him. In other words, He wanted to know the
depth of their perception and understanding.

Today, we ask ourselves how deeply and how truly we know Christ. Who is He? What is He really to you? To me?

A lot of sins have been committed in Jesus’ name. A lot of worldly agenda have been pushed in the guise of spirituality and religion. We
all must beat our breasts and bow our heads, and utter our sincere  “mea culpa” for the many times we have made God our alibi, our escape
route, or our ladder to go up higher. Truth to tell, many of us have used God, the most convenient truth.

How many of our national thieves pray in private or profess in public their faith in God, but go on cheating, lying and stealing anyway? 
How many of them continue to appear holy and unblemished, but go on making life difficult for the lost, the least and the last among us?
Jesus in His public discourses had one word for them: hypocrites!

We are confident of God’s mercy, understanding and forgiveness. However, there is also the reality of divine justice which sooner or later
will catch up with us. Let us never think that we can manipulate God. A humble and contrite heart indeed He will not spurn, but a proud,
unrepentant and abusive heart sooner or later He will scold and reprimand.

Please remember that it is not those who profess the Lord but those who do His will that will inherit the kingdom. While it is true that we
must work out our salvation with joy and confidence in God’s grace, it is equally true that we must work out our salvation in fear and
trembling because of our many sins.

Sinner or saint, or whatever we conceive ourselves to be, let us not forget humility. The evil one knows how to destroy us, and the best tool
for the evil one is our pride. Today, Peter professed Jesus as the Messiah. Let us examine ourselves if we, in any way, be it so subtle,
believe that we or some other creature is the Messiah in our lives. We are all dispensable and disposable. God is not.

Let nothing or no one become our God.  Let nothing or no one disturb us in our mission and in our journey to God’s heart. We are all
called to go the extra mile, to go up to the mountaintop, and to cast into the deep.  May we not be found wanting in the end because we did
not go beyond our comfort zones, we refused solitude, or we did not leave familiar shores.

Bantay Matanda invites you to a lay forum on the “Non-pharmacological Treatment of Dementia” at the Arnold Janssen Hall, Christ the
King Seminary, E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City. from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. For inquiries, please call 373-
2262 / 998-2548 / 0917- 4167849.

Speaking of dementia, Pope Benedict in his address in El Escorial at the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid, Spain, (Aug. 16-21)
lamented our modern society’s “amnesia” about God, and the denial of the treasure of our faith. Without God, without faith, we lose our
identity and we lose sight of our priorities. Who do we perceive ourselves to be, and what are our priorities as individuals and as a nation?
Tomorrow, Aug. 22, is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. Let us place ourselves, our families and our country, earnestly and steadfastly,
under the queenship of Mama Mary. It may not sound urgent and it may not even be obvious, but there is an agenda to weaken the Church
socially, politically and culturally. This is the time for vigilance, and for taking a stand, following our Master’s advice to be innocent as
doves, but also to be wise as serpents. Let us not be caught off-guard or allow ourselves to be overtaken by events and circumstances
because of our complacency or image preservation.

Think about this prayer on humility: “God, I am far too often influenced by what others think of me. I am always pretending to be either
richer or smarter or nicer than I really am. Please prevent me from trying to attract attention. Don’t let me gloat over praise on one hand or
be discouraged by criticism on the other. Neither let me waste time weaving imaginary situations in which the most heroic, charming, witty
person present is myself. Show me how to be humble of heart like you.”

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, remind me that life is not so much about image, or being impressive, but being real and being expressive. Amen.

opinion.inquirer.net/10357/image

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Word Alive

St. Peter Chosen Despite Failings

August 19, 2011, 9:57pm

MANILA, Philippines — Nicknames are given to people to describe one of their characteristics. That’s why we call some people “Shorty,”
“Kulot” (curly haired), “Palito” (skinny), or something to that effect. In this 21st Sunday gospel, Jesus called Simon “Rock,” implying that
he was solid and firm.

However, it was an unlikely nickname for Peter was everything but rock-like, solid, and firm. For instance, despite his bravado at the Last
Supper that he would never abandon his Master, he was so weak that when Jesus was arrested, he did not only abandon Him but even
denied ever knowing Him, not once but three times.

But why is it that Jesus chose Simon to be the solid foundation of His Church, leader of the disciples and first Pope?

If love and loyalty were the basis for leadership, it would have gone to John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” who followed Jesus in His
darkest moments.

But Jesus chose Peter. The main reason could not be Peter’s character of his strength, but the strength of his faith. Deep down he knew
himself to be weak and imperfect, hence he was convinced that his total security and strength could only come from a power greater than
his own.

Peter’s story illustrates how the Lord entrusted the Church He founded in the hands of imperfect humans. The history of the Church
buffeted by internal dissent and confusion from the early centuries right down to our own  times, has proven Christ’s words: “And the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).

There were numerous popes and religious leaders who were paragons of virtue, but we cannot gloss over certain church leaders who
succumbed to their weaknesses and caused grave scandals. But through all the good and the bad, the Church has withstood the attacks and
violent storms that have threatened it because it was founded on rock.

This reminds me of the remark of a certain layman serving the parish, “The Church belongs to God and is eternal. Churchmen are here
among us, and are sometimes fallible. Do not condemn the Church for what some churchmen do.”

For all the humanness of Peter, we poor mortals, can identify with him. We draw inspiration from his spirit of repentance. Instead of giving
in to despair like what Judas Iscariot did, he went out remorseful and “wept bitterly.”

We surely have our failings and weaknesses but what’s important is that we don’t give up on the mercy and love of God.

The story is told about the late Pope John Paul II. He visited a large prison facility in Rome. While conversing with some of them, one of
the prisoners sheepishly approached him and mumbled, “Holy Father, will I still be forgiven?”

He must have committed a lot of crimes. The Holy Father embraced him lovingly, and that said it all. The gesture was like the father
forgiving his wayward son in Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son.

Don’t ever despair. God orders us to throw our sins in the depths of the ocean and puts a sign, “No Fishing!”

Lectionary Readings
First reading: Isaiah 22:19-23
Psalm: Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6, 8
Second reading: Romans 11:33-36
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20
Link to readings
Commentary
Today the focus of the readings is on the Church. In fact, the text chosen for the Gospel, Matt 16:13-20, is one of only two places in all the
four Gospels where the word 'church' occurs (the other being Matt 18:15-17).
The community of disciples is being equipped with authority and structures that will enable it to function during the time when Jesus will no
longer be with them in the human form they have known.
FORESHADOWS PETER'S APPOINTMENT
The First Reading, from Isa 22:19-23, telling of the replacement of Shebna as master of the royal palace by a new official, Eliakim,
appropriately foreshadows the appointment of Peter in the Gospel.
It seems to have contributed to some of the language in which that appointment is made: notably, the hand-over of keys – and also perhaps
the sense that what the new appointee determines ('opening' and 'closing') will have a definitive higher sanction, not lightly overthrown. Linking
the two readings also is the sense of being responsible for a community seen as a 'building': while in charge of the palace, Eliakim is to be a
'father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem' just as Peter will be the 'rock' upon which Jesus will 'build' the community of his church.
In regard to the Gospel itself, what is important to notice is how what is said about the Church (the ecclesiology) flows from what is said (by
Peter) about Christ (the Christology). The Church is only what it is because of its perception of who Jesus is. Everything the Church has to say
begins and ends with its God-given knowledge of Jesus, the inexhaustible treasure which it holds in trust for the world.
When Jesus questions his disciples about popular perceptions of his identity, their report shows that people can only place him in categories
that are familiar and well-worn. The reality requires a much greater leap in imagination and faith.
SIMON PETER RESPONDS
In the person of Simon Peter, the disciples do rise to such heights. Simon’s response, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God', conveys
awareness that, beyond being Israel’s Messiah as conventionally understood (a virtuous and effective ruler of David’s line who would restore
the fortunes of Israel), Jesus is related to God in a unique way. In his company, the disciples are being drawn into a fellowship with the divine
never before imagined or foreseen.
Peter has conferred a title on Jesus. Now Jesus confers, first a blessing, then three roles on him. Simon is 'blessed' not because he is virtuous
or otherwise deserving but because God has graciously revealed to him a knowledge that no amount of human understanding ('flesh and
blood') could achieve. On this Christological insight, the entire faith of the Church will rest.
The first role Simon receives is indicated by a new name: 'Rock'. The identity between 'Peter' and 'Rock' – masked in English, more evident in
Greek (petros, petra) – is perfect in Aramaic, the language Jesus actually spoke: 'You are Kepha (“Rock”) and on this kepha (rocky ground) I
will build my church'. 
INSIGHT OF FAITH
Peter is not 'rock' because of personal qualities of steadfastness or reliability. The Passion will further expose (26:69-75) his already
demonstrated tendency to falter (14:31). He is 'rock' because of the insight of faith which God has communicated to him. Built on this 'rock',
the Church will be a community of life. 'Gates of the underworld' is a biblical expression for the realm of the dead as the inevitable destination
of all human beings. Its 'gates' will not prevails against the Church either in the sense that, built upon a 'rock,' it will survive all attempts to
destroy it or, more likely, in the sense that its members, even though they die physically, will not be held confined within the realm of the dead
but will burst through its 'gates' in resurrection (see 27:52-53).
AUTHORITATIVE TEACHING
The gift of keys does not, as commonly thought, make Peter the gatekeeper of heaven, letting in whoever he deems worthy. It, along with the
subsequent reference to 'binding' and 'loosing', has to with authoritative teaching: the power to declare in particular circumstances whether a
commandment of the Torah is or is not applicable.
Jesus, the Interpreter of the Torah par excellence (Matthew 5-7) leaves his community with a structure of interpretation and assures it of
'heavenly', that is, divine ratification. In this way, the Church, as both expression and foretaste of God’s reign (the 'Kingdom of Heaven') on
earth, is equipped to discern and live God’s will in the changing circumstances that will, in the course of history, confront it.
Happily, this text functions less in polemics between Christian denominations than in times past. While it does certainly underwrite much of the
Catholic tradition, Catholics need not read it triumphalistically but, along with other Christians, find in it above all an assurance that for all its
human weaknesses and failings, the Church guards a supreme treasure and enjoys a divine guarantee.
Brendan Byrne, SJ, FAHA, taught New Testament at Jesuit Theological College, Parkville, Vic., for almost forty years. He is now Emeritus
Professor at the University of Divinity (Melbourne). His commentaries on the Gospels can be found at Pauline Books and Media