Ubi Petrus ibi Ecclesia : Where Peter is, there is Christ’s Church

The primacy of Peter. The love of the early Chris?tians for Peter

The Church is built on the primacy of Peter, as on a rock, until the end of the world. Peter’s stature is immeasurably enhanced since Christ is the real foundation of the Church and Peter now takes his place. That is why his successors have since acquired the title of Vicar of Christ, that is, one who takes Christ’s place.

Peter is the Church’s strong defense against the storms she has suffered and will suffer throughout the centuries.

Built on him, as foundation and with his watchfulness as good shepherd, its victory is assured despite trials and temptations. Peter must eventually die but as regards his role of supreme shepherd Our Lord will assure it lasts eter?nally for the perpetual health and perennial good of the Church, which, being founded on rock, must remain stable to the end of time.

Love for the Pope goes back to the Church’s begin?nings. The Acts of the Apostles tell us movingly of the early Christians’ reaction to the imprisonment of St. Peter by Herod Agrippa, who planned to kill him when the Paschal feast was over. Meanwhile the Church prayed unceasingly to God for him. Look at how the faithful feel for their pastors, says St John Chrysostom. They don’t resort to protest or rebellion, but to prayer as an unfailing remedy. They did not say: as we are powerless men, it is useless to pray for him. They never reasoned in this way, but prayed with love.

We ought to pray a lot for the Pope and his intentions, since he bears the heavy weight of the Church on his shoulders. For example, we could use the following liturgi?cal prayer : may the Lord keep him and give him life, make him happy on earth and save him from deliverance into the hands of his enemies. Every day the clamor of the entire Church spread over the world rises to God in petition with him and for him. No Mass is celebrated without his name being mentioned and prayers said for him and his intentions. Our Lord will be very pleased to see that throughout the day we remember to offer prayers, hours of work or study and some mortification for his Vicar on earth.

Thank you, my God, for that love for the Pope you have placed in my heart ; it would be wonderful if we could say this more meaningfully each day. This love and veneration for the Roman Pontiff is one of the great gifts Our Lord has left us.

Faithful obedience to the Vicar of Christ;- making his teaching known. The sweet Christ on earth.

Along with showing him love and respect, we also pray for the one who takes Christ’s place on earth. Love for the Roman Pontiff must be in us a beautiful passion, for in him we see Christ. Therefore we will not fall into the all too easy temptation of setting one Pope against another, having confidence only in those whose actions respond to our per?sonal feelings. We are not among those who nostalgically look back to a former Pope or look forward to one in the future who will eventually dispense us from obeying the present one. Read the liturgical texts for the coronation of Pontiffs and you will notice that nowhere is there a reference to a conferral of powers proportionate to the dignity of the person elected by the conclave. Christ gives these powers directly to Peter’s successor. Therefore in speaking of the Roman Pontiff we exclude from our vocabulary any expressions derived from parliamentary assemblies or the polemics of newspapers; let it not be said that people not of our faith should be the ones who explain the prestige of the head of Christendom in the world to us.

And there would be no true love and respect for the Pope without faithful internal and external obedience to his teaching and doctrine. Good children listen with pro?found respect to even the simplest advice of the common Father and try sincerely to put it into practice. In the Pope we should see somebody who is in Christ’s place in the world – the sweet Christ on earth, as St Cath?erine of Siena used to say – loving and listening to him because his voice is the truth. We try to see that his words reach all the corners of the earth without distortion, so that, just as when Christ was on earth, many people disoriented by ignorance and error can discover the truth and many afflicted people recover their hope. It is part of the Christian’s apostolic task to make the Pope’s teaching known.

Jesus’ very words can be applied to the Pope: He who abides in me … he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing . Without this union all fruit is only apparent and empty and, in many cases, brings bitter?ness and damages the whole Mystical Body of Christ. On the other hand, if we are very united to the Pope, we will only have reasons for optimism in the task before us; this is reflected in these words of Mgr Escriva: Joyfully I bless you, son, for that faith in your mission as an apostle which inspired you to write: ‘There’s no doubt about it, the future is certain, perhaps in spite of us. But it is essential that we should be one with the Head so that all be one!

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Homily #080629 ( 22min) Play – Fr. Angelo Geiger, FI preaches the homily on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul focusing on the primacy of Peter and how he and his successors are the authoritative head of the Church and how Paul as the main preacher to the Gentiles represents the missionary spirit of the Church. Both Peter and Paul were martyred on this day as a sign to us of the need for unity of both authority and evangelical spirit in order to bring conversion to the true faith.

Ave Maria! Mass readings

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Homily #090629 ( 13min) Play – Fr. Bonaventure preaches on the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, explaining how Peter, despite his failings, has the the gift of infallibility in teaching, has primacy over the Church and led the Church with a firm and fatherly hand through the persecution where he and St Paul suffered Martyrdom.
Ave Maria! Mass readings

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Conferences #96 – Fr. Peter Fehlner at Washington Theological Union ( 57min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

In this 3rd talk of the Newman-Scotus Symposium presented by the Conventual Franciscans at the Washington Theological Union on Oct 22-24, 2010, Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner gives a talk titled “Scotus and Newman in Dialogue – Scotus Metaphysician – Newman Phenomenologist.” He  points out that Newman agreed and even specifically refers to Scotus’ opinion of the motive for the incarnation, that is, the Franciscan Thesis, the Absolute Primacy of Christ, that Christ would have come even if Adam had not sinned. And in regard to the Immaculate Conception, which Scotus was so prominent in giving a theological basis, is key to understanding the difference between Protestants and Catholics and why Catholics are orthodox. Also, both Scotus and Newman have been accused by Harold Weatherby of being the seeds of later heresy and in the same way as Hegel was. Fr. Peter argues, as many others are doing, that Scotus and Newman are in fact the antidote to the Modern errors of Hegel. Fr. Peter is saying that Weatherby correctly sees the affinity between Scotus and Newman but misinterprets the common teaching of both and points out how.

Prominent in his talk is the stages of intellectual  process that are common between Scotus and Newman which gets short circuited by modernism.  And the element of internalizing of the process, how the heart factors into the intellectual process.

The critical question of how we achieve certainty is determined by both the object and so derives the certainty but also a personal note that involves the will which is not (as both rationalists and pietists insist) radically opposed to the intellect and reason.

Affectio Justitio of Scotus is also akin to the benevolence Newman derived from the idea that God loves himself both because it is reasonable and also most appealing and this is how we are able to love others as ourselves as our intellect becomes sanctified and so begins to function more like God’s.

Fr. Peter also refers to Carl Balic, who was the foremost scholar of Scotus in his day and who wrote the first draft of the eighth chapter of Lumen Gentium on the Virgin Mary. Balic suggested the affinity of Scotus and Newman to Fr. Peter and thought this would be a great way for modern men to understand Scotus better. Here Fr. Peter brings this suggestion to full fruition.

Ave Maria!

For more of this Symposium http://dev.airmaria.com/category/air-maria-shows/conferences/newman-scotus-symp-2010/

For the book that is the final fruit of this Symposium: https://academyoftheimmaculate.com/products/the-newman-scotus-reader-contexts-and-commonalities

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The post Video – Conferences #96: Fr P. Fehlner Scotus and Newman in Dialogue Pt 1of2 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #120822 ( 06min) Play – On this feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Ignatius explains the origins of the institution of this feast by our holy pontiffs, drawing from Tradition and Scripture the primacy of Her over all, second only to Her Son, as Divine Mother, Queen, and Coredemptrix. Ave Maria!

Mass: Queenship of Blessed Virgin Mary – Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Wednesday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
1st: eze 34:1-11
Resp: psa 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
Gsp: mat 20:1-16

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Homily #130709b ( 07min) Play – Fr. Joachim on the martyrdom of  St. Nicholas Pick and companions who gave their lives in witness to the Catholic truths of the Eucharist and the primacy of the Pope in the Protestant town of Gorcum, Holland.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Nicholas Pick and companions – Form: OF
Readings: Tuesday 14th Week of Ordinary Time
1st: gen 32:23-33
Resp: psa 17:1, 2-3, 6-7, 8, 15
Gsp: mat 9:32-38

Audio (MP3)

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The post Jul 09 – Homily – Fr Joachim: Witness to Truth first appeared on AirMaria.com.