Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,       
                   
                                                        Celebrating Our Patron Saint: St. Peter
 
 
There is a sculpture to the right of the sanctuary of the historic church celebrating the feast of the Chair of St. Peter and a stature in the narthex of the church on the hill highlighting St. Peter the Apostle holding the keys of heavenly authority given to him by Christ. These images of our parish Patron Saint, St. Peter remind us of his role as a shepherd with teaching authority. His confession of faith in the divinity of Jesus was the occasion for Jesus declaring him as the rock on which he will build his church. We are privileged to have the blessed Apostle Peter as our parish patron saint and propose we celebrate him by seeking his unique intercession for our parish and universal church at large. On February 22, the feast day of the Chair of St. Peter there will be two masses offered for this purpose at 8 am in the historic church and 6 pm at the church on the hill.
 
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI said in 2012 that the Chair is "a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity." The following is a more detailed reflection on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter culled from Catholic News Agency:
 
The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter celebrates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. St. Peter's original name was Simon. He was married with children and was living and working in Capernaum as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be one of the Twelve Apostles.
Jesus bestowed to Peter a special place among the Apostles. He was one of the three who were with Christ on special occasions, such as the Transfiguration of Christ and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was the only Apostle to whom Christ appeared on the first day after the Resurrection. Peter, in turn, often spoke on behalf of the Apostles.
When Jesus asked the Apostles: "Whom do men say that the Son of Man is?"  Simon replied: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
And Jesus said: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you: That you are Peter [Cephas, a rock], and upon this rock [Cephas] I will build my Church [ekklesian], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven". (Mt 16:13-20)
In saying this Jesus made St. Peter the head of the entire community of believers and placed the spiritual guidance of the faithful in St. Peter’s hands.
However, St. Peter was not without faults. He was rash and reproached often by Christ. He had fallen asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane instead of praying, as Jesus had asked him to do. He also denied knowing Jesus three times after Christ’s arrest.
Peter delivered the first public sermon after the Pentecost and won a large number of converts. He also performed many miracles and defended the freedom of the Apostles to preach the Gospels. He preached in Jerusalem, Judaea, and as far north as Syria.
He was arrested in Jerusalem under Herod Agrippa I, but miraculously escaped execution. He left Jerusalem and eventually went to Rome, where he preached during the last portion of his life. He was crucified there, head downwards, as he had desired to suffer, saying that he did not deserve to die as Christ had died.
The date of St. Peter's death is not clear. Historians estimate he was executed between the years 64 and 68. His remains now rest beneath the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. (CNA).

Have a happy feast day of the Chair of St. Peter on February 22nd.                           

  Fr. Bernard, OP
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
 
                                            In God We Trust
 
Inscriptions on the ten-dollar note I pulled out of my wallet to pay for a cup of a tall coffee at Starbucks yesterday inspired my reflections on the readings for this Sunday’s mass. To be precise, the inscriptions “We the People” and “In God we Trust” on the front and back of the legal tender respectively instruct on the theme of virtues of humility and trust. My research reveals that through the act of Congress and the president's approval, “In God We Trust” was declared the national motto of the United States in 1956. Although the motto, “In God We Trust,” first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin, it wasn't until 1957 that it made its first appearance on paper money. The recognition of God’s protection and lordship over America during the Civil War inspired this decision. In other words, America came to an awareness of their faith, hope, and trust in God’s love and mercy as the reason for the nation’s existence and sustenance through the turmoil it experienced. It is not just because we, the people of America, are the only exceptional people on the face of the earth- all God’s people are unique in their way; instead, our greatness comes from our trust in God.  
 
The phrase “We the People” begins the 52-word paragraph preamble to our constitution. Enshrined in the paragraph are promises and principles that define our nation. But it also contains a potential for a prideful turn to self, what St. Augustine calls “curvatus in se,” that is, to turn in upon oneself. We can become self-dependent to the extent of denying our reliance on God’s grace. We must avoid the danger of trusting in ourselves or relying solely “on human strength,” as Jeremiah says to us in the 1st reading. This turn to self or ego leads to idolatry. We may start thinking that the world revolves around us because we lack the virtue of humility. When we rely on the Lord, in humility, Jeremiah says the Lord will bless us “like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its root to the stream” (17:7-8). In this regard, Jesus’ beatitude and woes in Lk 6 make sense. The inversion of shared understanding of what brings us happiness- from health, wealth, prosperity, power to weakness, sickness, poverty, and humiliation- teaches us to trust in God and not ourselves for true happiness. You are blessed when you are poor, hungry, and despised if you trust in God and center your lives around him.
 
The biblical understanding of Greek “Makarios” and Latin “Beati” is the root of the unique blessedness we experience when we trust in God. This blessedness is an enduring one, an eternal one. The joy from this blessedness is not transient or temporal; it is realized fully in heavenly reward. Jesus has reversed our understanding of the source of true and lasting joy. It flows from the absolute reliance on God and not on human strength. This new and different way of looking at life leads us to ask ourselves, what or who do we depend on for our ultimate joy and happiness? God or self? As for me and my household, in God we trust.
 
We celebrate World Marriage Day today and Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Therefore, I take this opportunity to impart God’s blessings on all married couples and lovers. May your love for each other be rooted in the love of Christ crucified.
 
 

 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
 
                                                                       Send Me, Lord!
 
Jesus invites us to follow him and spread the Good News of the Kingdom. He says, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). Jesus sees and meets us where we are and offers us the opportunity to share in His divine mission of saving souls for God’s Kingdom. He finds and calls Peter and his companions at their profession, they are fishermen. He gets into their boats. This is indicative of grace invading their human and natural space. Despite the humanly impossible scenario, he and his companions have tried all night to catch fish without luck, Peter nevertheless obeyed Jesus who commands him to “put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” The miraculous catch that they made as a result of his faith in Jesus made Peter fully aware of his unworthiness in the presence of Jesus.  “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8), Peter says. Just like Isaiah in the first reading of today’s mass when his sinfulness became clear to him in the presence of the Holy One and confesses “Woe is me, I am doomed (Is 6:5), and like Paul in acknowledgment of his unworthiness at being called to be an apostle admits, “For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle”  (1 Cor 15:9), so Peter also sees only his wretched state in the presence of Jesus.  
 
Don’t we all feel that way? Isn’t it the case that we feel unworthy of the call to preach or evangelize? We often call to mind our sinfulness and imperfections when we are reminded of our baptismal call to be prophets, to share the joy of knowing Jesus with others. Aren’t people going to refer to our human failures and flaws when we propose the life of faith to them? I do feel that way as a priest and preacher. On many occasions when I carry out divine missions, my human imperfections flash before me and I weep in sorrows at the recognition of the holiness of the one who calls and sends me, Jesus Christ, my Lord and friend.
 
The good news is that God still wants and still chooses to work with and in us despite our human weaknesses. It is His grace that perfects our imperfection. All that is required of us is to trust and obey his commands: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch” (Lk 5: 4). All Jesus asks of us is faith and submission to the grace he provides in abundance to supply for our inadequacy. Search for souls to draw into the Kingdom, respond to Jesus’ bid to preach the Gospel in words and deeds, and do it in creative and consistent spirit. Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. He is the one who actually wins souls for the Kingdom, we are his instruments.  Like Jesus, the Church calls us to the New Evangelization. What are the ways in which Jesus is calling you today to fish out souls for His Kingdom? Who has Jesus brought recently into your path to invite into His Kingdom? Is there someone waiting to hear you share your faith with them and you have been hesitant to act because you feel unworthy? Just remember this, it is Jesus who calls and sends you and he knows you are not perfect but seek perfection. All you need to do is say, I know I am a sinner but send me, Lord!
 
In His Service,
Fr. Bernard, OP