The Sheepfold and the Voice of the Shepherd

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Stone sheepfold John 10:22-30 Recently my boys have been spending a great deal of time outside in the area that will soon be transformed into our garden. They spend endless hours digging in the dirt for worms. They then promptly take those worms and throw them to the chickens. It amazes me how even chickens can learn to recognize sounds or voices. My oldest makes this funny high-pitched sound when he comes out of the house and heads toward the coop. The chickens practically fall over themselves running toward the fence or out of the coop when they hear him making his sound. They know there is food to follow! In Sunday's Gospel Jesus tells us that, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." and "I am the gate for the sheep." Today, again, Jesus mentions that His sheep know His voice and follow Him.  In these few verses we learn that Jesus is both gate and shepherd for the sheep. In those days and even today in some places, a sheepfold w
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The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

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The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

Related imageTo understand the role and importance of Peter on this great feast we must look to Scripture. We must look back through the Old Testament for clues as to what God's plan was since the beginning of time.

When we read the book of Daniel we find a story where Daniel is brought before King Nebuchadnezzar to interpret the king's dream. Daniel tells the king about the future destruction of all the great ruling empires. In the dream these kingdoms, symbolized by iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, are destroyed by a rock. Daniel says this to the king, "It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold." (Chap. 2 vs. 44b - 45c)

In the book of Isaiah we read of the steward of the house. "And I will place on his shoulder the keys of the house of David; he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house."

In today's Gospel Jesus uses almost identical language when addressing Simon Peter. When Peter answers that Jesus, "is the Christ, the son of the living God", Jesus calls him a rock and one not carved by human hands, "For flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father who is in Heaven." It is upon this rock that Jesus determines to build His Church and he places Peter in the role of the steward. He is given the keys and a throne of honor in "his father's house."

It is God's plan and His design to fix this sure peg of the Pope in a sure place to lead His flock. Today is a day to celebrate this great gift and rejoice.
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"At this moment, the Lord repeats his question to each of us: “who do you say that I am?”. A clear and direct question, which one cannot avoid or remain neutral to, nor can one remand it or delegate the response to someone else. In this question there is nothing inquisitional, but rather, it is full of love! The love of our One Master, who today calls us to renew our faith in him, recognizing him as the Son of God and Lord of our life. The first one called to renew his profession of faith is the Successor of Peter, who carries the responsibility to strengthen his brothers.

 Let us allow grace to shape our hearts anew in order to believe, and to open our mouths in order to profess the faith and obtain salvation. Thus, let us make our own the words of Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. May our thought and our gaze be fixed on Jesus Christ, the beginning and the end of all actions of the Church. He is the foundation and no one may lay a different one. He is the “rock” upon which we must build. St Augustine recalls this with expressive words, when he writes that even if shaken and upset over historical events, the Church “will not fall, because she is founded on the rock, from which Peter’s name derives. It is not the rock that draws its name from Peter, but Peter who draws it from the rock; just as it is not the name Christ which derives from Christian, but the name Christian which derives from Christ.... The rock is Christ, upon which foundation Peter too was edified'" - Pope Francis
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