| Amazing Grace WHY SIMON BAR JONAH? Pope Peter |
*A Fisherman by trade, yet it took an act of God for Simon, son of
John, to catch more than a few fish! Why, then, would our Lord
choose Simon to be the Chief Fisher of Men?
*Taught by Christ and witness to countless miracles, yet his faith
was weak; he doubted and began to sink as he tried to walk to our
Lord on water. Why, then, would our Lord choose Simon to be
the Chief Guardian of the Deposit of Faith?
*Confessor of the true identity of our Lord Jesus, yet he later
denied Him tree times! Why, then, would our Lord choose Simon
to be His Chief Promoter?
Of all the people Jesus could have picked to give the keys to
the Kingom of Heaven, I wonder why He chose Simon! Why not
John the Baptist for instance? Jesus could have easily kept John
from losing his head so that He might make him the head of His
Church! After all, John seemed to be the most qualified. He
prepared the way for the Kingdom! Wouldn't it be fitting for him
to be given the keys to it? I mean, why Simon? What did he ever
do to prepare for the Kingdom? Was it not the child John, who
lept in his mother's womb, aware of the pressence of Christ in the
womb of Mary? Wasn't it the Baptist who declared the identity of
Jesus before Simon when he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God" ?
(John 1:29 & 1:35) Wasn't it John who was sent to make straight
the path of the Lord? Who better than John the Baptist to KEEP
the path straight as Pope, the one given the top authority to bind
and loose!
In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, after Simon declared
the identity of Jesus, our Lord changed his name to Cephas,
Aramaic for Rock, which is translated Petros (or Peter) in Greek,
and had just given Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and
the authority to bind and loose on earth in verse 19. Just four
verses later, our Lord rebukes Peter and says "Get behind me,
Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God
does, but as human beings do." So why, then, did our Lord not
strip Peter of the Keys He had just given Him?
We know that during the ministry of Jesus, John the Baptist
sat, chained in a dark, cold dungeon, waiting for his fate. It would
have been a small task for our Lord to send an Angel to rescue
him as He later did with Peter. (Acts 12:1-19) A worthy effort, to
rescue the Baptist and make him Pope instead of Simon Peter!
After all, the Baptist was never rebuked by our Lord! In fact,
Jesus spoke very highly of John when He said, "Amen, I say to
you, among those born of women there has been none greater
than John the Baptist;" (Matt 11:11) Yet our Lord chose Simon!
Another good choice for first Pope would have been the
Apostle John, the beloved! Jesus had a special love for this John;
possibly because of a pure heart, or the advanced knowledge that
Jesus had, that John the beloved, would be the only Apostle at the
foot of the Cross! Was it not this John who reclined tenderly on
our Lord's breast like a loving child at the Last Supper?
Another more likely choice was Nathanael, of whom the
Gospel of John writes; "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and
he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no
guile. Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus
answered and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered him
and said: Rabbi: Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of
Israel.
(John 1:47-49) Why not Pope Nathanael? In Him there is no
guile! (No falsehood) Why not this man who also declared the
true identity of Jesus?
How about Pope Joseph? The foster father of Jesus. The
Protector of the Holy Family! The Patron Protector of the
Church! Seems like the perfect choice! Surely Jesus could have
extended his years so that he could be tasked as Protecting
Shepherd of Christ's flock on Earth.
And here's one for all those women in the Church who aspire
to the Priesthood or some greater role of authority within the
Church; Pope Mary! Hey, why not? His own mother! Why
didn't He pick her? Immaculate Conception! Born without sin!
Highly favored by God! Full of Grace! Perpetual Pure Virgin!
Most Chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit! What a great resume'!
Wouldn't she have made a Great Pope? But alas, I am not God!
Jesus did not pick her! He did not pick Joseph! He did not pick
Nathanael! He did not pick John the beloved! He did not pick
John the Baptist! He picked Simon! Simon! A man of weak
faith, of questionable loyalty, and a dubious fisher of men. A man
with many human defects! But why?
The truth is that Jesus knew in advance, when He first met him,
that Simon was the one! (John 1:41. He findeth first his brother
Simon and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is,
being interpreted, the Christ. 1:42. And he brought him to Jesus.
And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of
Jona. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.)
In fact, Jesus knew from all eternity just how He would use Simon
in His Kingdom!
Likewise God knows all of us from all eternity and just how we
are to interact in His Kingdom for the purpose of our own
Salvation. It was Grace that called Simon into service. It was
Grace that transformed simple Simon into Peter the Rock! It was
Grace that strengthened Peter's faith who, in turn, strengthened
the faith of his brothers. It was Grace that transformed a
struggling fisherman into a great fisher of men. (Acts) It was
Grace that enabled Peter to speak boldly to thousands, preaching
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts) It was Grace that worked great
miracles through Peter to heal the sick, the lame, the deaf and
blind. (Acts) So potent was this grace that people desired that just
Peter's shadow might fall on them for a healing! It was Grace that
transformed Peter's thrice denial of Christ into a Martyrs Loyalty
to Christ, dying in Rome, upside down on a cross. It is Grace that
comes to the weak in faith. It is Grace that finds the lost. It is
Grace that gives sight to the blind. It is Grace that provides light
to those in darkness. It is Grace that transforms the heart of stone.
It is Grace that makes sinners Saints! It is Amazing Grace that
saves us! It is our free response to Grace that God desires!
God Bless
TFN
John, to catch more than a few fish! Why, then, would our Lord
choose Simon to be the Chief Fisher of Men?
*Taught by Christ and witness to countless miracles, yet his faith
was weak; he doubted and began to sink as he tried to walk to our
Lord on water. Why, then, would our Lord choose Simon to be
the Chief Guardian of the Deposit of Faith?
*Confessor of the true identity of our Lord Jesus, yet he later
denied Him tree times! Why, then, would our Lord choose Simon
to be His Chief Promoter?
Of all the people Jesus could have picked to give the keys to
the Kingom of Heaven, I wonder why He chose Simon! Why not
John the Baptist for instance? Jesus could have easily kept John
from losing his head so that He might make him the head of His
Church! After all, John seemed to be the most qualified. He
prepared the way for the Kingdom! Wouldn't it be fitting for him
to be given the keys to it? I mean, why Simon? What did he ever
do to prepare for the Kingdom? Was it not the child John, who
lept in his mother's womb, aware of the pressence of Christ in the
womb of Mary? Wasn't it the Baptist who declared the identity of
Jesus before Simon when he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God" ?
(John 1:29 & 1:35) Wasn't it John who was sent to make straight
the path of the Lord? Who better than John the Baptist to KEEP
the path straight as Pope, the one given the top authority to bind
and loose!
In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, after Simon declared
the identity of Jesus, our Lord changed his name to Cephas,
Aramaic for Rock, which is translated Petros (or Peter) in Greek,
and had just given Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and
the authority to bind and loose on earth in verse 19. Just four
verses later, our Lord rebukes Peter and says "Get behind me,
Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God
does, but as human beings do." So why, then, did our Lord not
strip Peter of the Keys He had just given Him?
We know that during the ministry of Jesus, John the Baptist
sat, chained in a dark, cold dungeon, waiting for his fate. It would
have been a small task for our Lord to send an Angel to rescue
him as He later did with Peter. (Acts 12:1-19) A worthy effort, to
rescue the Baptist and make him Pope instead of Simon Peter!
After all, the Baptist was never rebuked by our Lord! In fact,
Jesus spoke very highly of John when He said, "Amen, I say to
you, among those born of women there has been none greater
than John the Baptist;" (Matt 11:11) Yet our Lord chose Simon!
Another good choice for first Pope would have been the
Apostle John, the beloved! Jesus had a special love for this John;
possibly because of a pure heart, or the advanced knowledge that
Jesus had, that John the beloved, would be the only Apostle at the
foot of the Cross! Was it not this John who reclined tenderly on
our Lord's breast like a loving child at the Last Supper?
Another more likely choice was Nathanael, of whom the
Gospel of John writes; "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and
he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no
guile. Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus
answered and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered him
and said: Rabbi: Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of
Israel.
(John 1:47-49) Why not Pope Nathanael? In Him there is no
guile! (No falsehood) Why not this man who also declared the
true identity of Jesus?
How about Pope Joseph? The foster father of Jesus. The
Protector of the Holy Family! The Patron Protector of the
Church! Seems like the perfect choice! Surely Jesus could have
extended his years so that he could be tasked as Protecting
Shepherd of Christ's flock on Earth.
And here's one for all those women in the Church who aspire
to the Priesthood or some greater role of authority within the
Church; Pope Mary! Hey, why not? His own mother! Why
didn't He pick her? Immaculate Conception! Born without sin!
Highly favored by God! Full of Grace! Perpetual Pure Virgin!
Most Chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit! What a great resume'!
Wouldn't she have made a Great Pope? But alas, I am not God!
Jesus did not pick her! He did not pick Joseph! He did not pick
Nathanael! He did not pick John the beloved! He did not pick
John the Baptist! He picked Simon! Simon! A man of weak
faith, of questionable loyalty, and a dubious fisher of men. A man
with many human defects! But why?
The truth is that Jesus knew in advance, when He first met him,
that Simon was the one! (John 1:41. He findeth first his brother
Simon and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is,
being interpreted, the Christ. 1:42. And he brought him to Jesus.
And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of
Jona. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.)
In fact, Jesus knew from all eternity just how He would use Simon
in His Kingdom!
Likewise God knows all of us from all eternity and just how we
are to interact in His Kingdom for the purpose of our own
Salvation. It was Grace that called Simon into service. It was
Grace that transformed simple Simon into Peter the Rock! It was
Grace that strengthened Peter's faith who, in turn, strengthened
the faith of his brothers. It was Grace that transformed a
struggling fisherman into a great fisher of men. (Acts) It was
Grace that enabled Peter to speak boldly to thousands, preaching
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts) It was Grace that worked great
miracles through Peter to heal the sick, the lame, the deaf and
blind. (Acts) So potent was this grace that people desired that just
Peter's shadow might fall on them for a healing! It was Grace that
transformed Peter's thrice denial of Christ into a Martyrs Loyalty
to Christ, dying in Rome, upside down on a cross. It is Grace that
comes to the weak in faith. It is Grace that finds the lost. It is
Grace that gives sight to the blind. It is Grace that provides light
to those in darkness. It is Grace that transforms the heart of stone.
It is Grace that makes sinners Saints! It is Amazing Grace that
saves us! It is our free response to Grace that God desires!
God Bless
TFN
St. Peter The Rock
The Article below is from the Church of The Holy Spirit
3526 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, Ont., M1T 3K7 Phone (416) 293-7974
Roman Catholic - Archdiocese of Toronto, Ont., Canada
http://www.holy-spirit.ca/Stpeter.html
Peter's original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name
Cephas or Peter when they first met and later confirmed it. This
name change was meant to show both Peter's rank as leader of the
apostles and the outstanding trait of his character; Peter (in Hebrew
Kephas) the Rock.
Peter was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Like his younger
brother Andrew, he was a fisherman and dwelt at Capharnaum.
Peter's house often became the scene of miracles, since the Master
would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality.
Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the
first of Jesus' disciples (John 1:40-50).
After the miraculous draught of fish on the Sea of Galilee, Peter
received his definitive call and left wife, family, and occupation to
take his place as leader of the Twelve. Thereafter we find him
continually at Jesus' side, whether it be as spokesman of the
apostolic college (John 6:68; Matt. 16:16), or as one specially
favoured (e.g., at the restoration to life of Jairus' daughter, at the
transfiguration, during the agony in the garden). His sanguine
temperament often led him into hasty, unpremeditated words and
actions; his denial of Jesus during the passion was a salutary lesson.
It accentuated a weakness in his character and made him humble.
After the ascension, Peter always took the leading role, exercising
the office of chief shepherd that Christ had entrusted to him. He
delivered the first sermon on Pentecost and received the first
Gentiles into the Church (Cornelius; Acts 10:1). Paul went to
Jerusalem "to see Peter." After his miraculous deliverance from
prison (Easter, 42 A.D.), Peter "went to a different place," most
probably to Rome. Details now become scanty; we hear of his
presence at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), and of his journey
to Antioch (Gal. 2:11).
It is certain that Peter laboured in Rome as an apostle, that he was
the city's first bishop, and that he died there as a martyr, bound to a
cross (67 A.D.). According to tradition he also was the first bishop
of Antioch. He is the author of two letters, the first Christian
encyclicals. His burial place is Christendom's most famous shrine, an
edifice around whose dome are inscribed the words: Tu es Petrus, et
super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam.
The Article below is from the Church of The Holy Spirit
3526 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, Ont., M1T 3K7 Phone (416) 293-7974
Roman Catholic - Archdiocese of Toronto, Ont., Canada
http://www.holy-spirit.ca/Stpeter.html
Peter's original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name
Cephas or Peter when they first met and later confirmed it. This
name change was meant to show both Peter's rank as leader of the
apostles and the outstanding trait of his character; Peter (in Hebrew
Kephas) the Rock.
Peter was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Like his younger
brother Andrew, he was a fisherman and dwelt at Capharnaum.
Peter's house often became the scene of miracles, since the Master
would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality.
Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the
first of Jesus' disciples (John 1:40-50).
After the miraculous draught of fish on the Sea of Galilee, Peter
received his definitive call and left wife, family, and occupation to
take his place as leader of the Twelve. Thereafter we find him
continually at Jesus' side, whether it be as spokesman of the
apostolic college (John 6:68; Matt. 16:16), or as one specially
favoured (e.g., at the restoration to life of Jairus' daughter, at the
transfiguration, during the agony in the garden). His sanguine
temperament often led him into hasty, unpremeditated words and
actions; his denial of Jesus during the passion was a salutary lesson.
It accentuated a weakness in his character and made him humble.
After the ascension, Peter always took the leading role, exercising
the office of chief shepherd that Christ had entrusted to him. He
delivered the first sermon on Pentecost and received the first
Gentiles into the Church (Cornelius; Acts 10:1). Paul went to
Jerusalem "to see Peter." After his miraculous deliverance from
prison (Easter, 42 A.D.), Peter "went to a different place," most
probably to Rome. Details now become scanty; we hear of his
presence at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), and of his journey
to Antioch (Gal. 2:11).
It is certain that Peter laboured in Rome as an apostle, that he was
the city's first bishop, and that he died there as a martyr, bound to a
cross (67 A.D.). According to tradition he also was the first bishop
of Antioch. He is the author of two letters, the first Christian
encyclicals. His burial place is Christendom's most famous shrine, an
edifice around whose dome are inscribed the words: Tu es Petrus, et
super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam.
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