(Vatican Radio) On Wednesday, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica for the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, during which he said prayer is the “way out” when we become closed in on ourselves.
Pope Francis centred his June 29 homily on the day’s Gospel reading, and reflected on the themes of being opened and closed, as demonstrated by the lives of Saints Peter and Paul.
Drawing from examples from the life of Peter, such as when he was imprisoned, the Holy Father said “prayer appears as the main way out. It is a way out for the community, which risks closing in on itself out of persecution and fear.”
“Prayer, as humble entrustment to God and his holy will, is always the way out of our becoming ‘closed’, as individuals and as a community.”
Likewise, this theme of going out in service of the Gospel is seen in the writings of St Paul.
“Paul’s life was utterly projected forward, in bringing Christ to those who did not know him, and then in rushing, as it were, into Christ’s arms, to be “saved for his heavenly kingdom,” the Pope said.
Turning back to Peter, Pope Francis reflected on how he was set free by Christ’s “compassionate gaze” which “pierces the heart and brings tears of repentance.”
The Pope referenced the scene in the Gospels in which Peter encounters Jesus after having denied him three times.
“At that moment, Simon Peter was set free from the prison of his selfish pride and fear, and overcame the temptation of closing his heart to Jesus’s call to follow him along the way of the cross.”
Pope Francis also spoke of the “constant temptation for the Church” of “closing in on herself in the face of danger.”
“Prayer enable grace to open a way out from closure to openness, from fear to courage, from sadness to joy. And we can add: from division to unity.”
During the Mass, the Pope conferred the Pallium to twenty-five prelates from eleven countries who were named metropolitan archbishops over the past year. Included among them were US Archbishop Bernard Anthony Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN, Archbishop Adam Szal of Przemyśl, Poland, and Archbishop Basilio Athaei of Taunggyi, Myanmar.
The pallium is a woolen vestment conferred on a new archbishop by the Pope, traditionally on the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Church of Rome was founded on the faith of Saints Peter and Paul , the two Apostles from the Holy Land whose feast day is celebrated 29 June: that’s what Pope Francis recalled during his midday Angelus address on this Rome holiday. The entire universal Church, he said, considers the two patron saints of Rome “two pillars and two great lights which shine not only in the Rome sky, but in the hearts of believers of the Orient and the West.”
In his catechesis, Pope Francis pointed out that the two apostles were very different: Peter, a humble fisherman and Paul, sophisticated and highly educated. The courageous decision of the two Near Eastern saints to embark on a difficult and dangerous journey to Rome gave this territory the Christian spiritual and cultural patrimony that has formed its very foundation, the Pope affirmed.
Both came to Rome to give witness to the Gospel among people and they sealed their mission of faith and charity with martyrdom, he added.
Today, Peter and Paul return among us in a symbolic way, the Pope said, traveling the streets of this city, knocking “at the doors of our homes, and above all, of our hearts.” They still desire to bring Jesus to us: “his merciful love, his consolation, his peace; Let us welcome their message!”
Referring to the celebration of Holy Mass which he had just concluded in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis said he blessed the Pallia for the new Metropolitan Archbishops who had been appointed this year. He renewed his best wishes to them and their families and encouraged them to “pursue with joy their mission in service to the Gospel, in communion with the entire Church and especially with the Seat of Peter” as symbolized in the Pallium.
Pope Francis said he welcomed with joy and affection Members of a delegation sent by his “dear brother,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Their presence, he added, “is sign of the existing fraternal bonds between our Churches. Let us pray so that the bonds of communion and common witness will strengthen.”
The Holy Father then entrusted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Salus Populi Romani” the entire world, and “in particular this city of Rome” so that it will always refer back to its rich foundation of spiritual and moral values “in its social life, its mission in Italy, in Europe and in the world.”
In his comments following the Angelus Prayer, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of Monday’s horrific terrorist attack at Istanbul’s main international airport, for their families and the “dear Turkish people.” He prayed for the conversion of “violent hearts” and asked the Lord to “sustain our steps on the path to peace.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday called for a moment of silent prayer for all those affected by a suicide attack in Istanbul’s international airport which killed dozens of people and injured some 150 others.
“Yesterday evening, in Istanbul, a brutal terrorist attack was committed, which has killed and injured many people,” the Pope said during his 29 June Angelus address after celebrating Mass for the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
“We pray for the victims, for their families, and for the beloved people of Turkey. May the Lord convert the hearts of the violent, and sustain our feet on the way of peace.”
The Pope invited everyone in St Peter’s Square to take a moment of silent prayer, before leading the crowds in the recitation of the Hail Mary.
At least 36 people were killed Tuesday when suicide bombers struck the Ataturk Airport, and around 147 people were wounded.
Officials say they believe Islamic State militants are behind the June 29 attack, which is the latest in a series of attacks in Turkey in recent months.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Veronica Scarisbrick asks scripture scholar Mark Benedict Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia, to shed light on on the figures of Saints Peter and Paul on the day ( the 29th of June) that the Church remembers them in a special way each year.
Listen to Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia, Mark Benedict Coleridge in a programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick :
Archbishop Coleridge explains how Saints Peter and Paul fought mightily in their lifetime but eventually their stories converged and their paths crossed in the most decisive way. Both these apostles, he goes on to say, were among the Christian leaders in Rome to be swept away in the tide of blood that came with the persecution of the Emperor Nero. Both suffered a martyr’s death, Paul was beheaded, Peter crucified. And in the moment of their death they found their way so completely and so profoundly to Jesus crucified and Risen that they found their way to one another
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) In his homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul , Pope Francis focused on the themes of “closing” and “opening” in the lives of the two patrons of Rome.
The Church must avoid the risk of closing in on itself out of persecution and fear, the Pope said. At the same time, she must be able to see “the small openings through which God can work.” Prayer, he said, “enables grace to open a way out from closure to openness, from fear to courage, from sadness to joy. And we can add: from division to unity .”
Read the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared homily for the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul:
Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
29 June 2016
The word of God in today’s liturgy presents a clear central contrast between closing and opening . Together with this image we can consider the symbol of the keys that Jesus promises to Simon Peter so that he can open the entrance to the kingdom of heaven, and not close it before people, like some of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus reproached (cf. Mt 23:13).
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-11) shows us three examples of “closing” : Peter is cast into prison; the community gathers behind closed doors in prayer; and – in the continuation of our reading – Peter knocks at the closed door of the house of Mary, the mother of John called Mark, after being set free.
In these three examples of “closing”, prayer appears as the main way out . It is a way out for the community, which risks closing in on itself out of persecution and fear. It is a way out for Peter who, at the very beginning of the mission given him by the Lord, is cast into prison by Herod and risks execution. While Peter was in prison, “the church prayed fervently to God for him” ( Acts 12:5). The Lord responds to that prayer and sends his angel to liberate Peter, “rescuing him from the hand of Herod” (cf. v. 11). Prayer, as humble entrustment to God and his holy will, is always the way out of our becoming “closed”, as individuals and as a community.
Paul too, writing to Timothy, speaks of his experience of liberation, of finding a way out of his own impending execution. He tells us that the Lord stood by him and gave him strength to carry out the work of evangelizing the nations (cf. 2 Tim 4:17). But Paul speaks too of a much greater “opening”, towards an infinitely more vast horizon. It is the horizon of eternal life, which awaits him at the end of his earthly “race”. We can see the whole life of the Apostle in terms of “going out” in service to the Gospel . Paul’s life was utterly projected forward, in bringing Christ to those who did not know him, and then in rushing, as it were, into Christ’s arms, to be “saved for his heavenly kingdom” (v. 18).
Let us return to Peter . The Gospel account ( Mt 16:13-19) of his confession of faith and the mission entrusted to him by Jesus shows us that the life of Simon, the fishermen of Galilee – like the life of each of us – opens , opens up fully, when it receives from God the Father the grace of faith. Simon sets out on the journey – a long and difficult journey – that will lead him to go out of himself, leaving all his human supports behind, especially his pride tinged with courage and generous selflessness. In this, his process of liberation, the prayer of Jesus is decisive: “I have prayed for you [Simon], that your own faith may not fail” ( Lk 22:32). Likewise decisive is the compassionate gaze of the Lord after Peter had denied him three times: a gaze that pierces the heart and brings tears of repentance (cf. Lk 22:61-62). At that moment, Simon Peter was set free from the prison of his selfish pride and fear , and overcame the temptation of closing his heart to Jesus’s call to follow him along the way of the cross.
I mentioned that, in the continuation of the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, there is a detail worthy of consideration (cf. 12:12-17). When Peter finds himself miraculously freed from Herod’s prison, he goes to the home of the mother of John called Mark. He knocks on the closed door and a servant by the name of Rhoda comes. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in disbelief and joy, instead of opening the door, she runs to tell her mistress. The account, which can seem comical, makes us perceive the climate of fear that led the Christian community to stay behind closed doors, but also closed to God’s surprises. This detail speaks to us of a constant temptation for the Church, that of closing in on herself in the face of danger. But we also see the small openings through which God can work. Saint Luke tells us that in that house “many had gathered and were praying ” (v. 12). Prayer enables grace to open a way out from closure to openness, from fear to courage, from sadness to joy. And we can add: from division to unity . Yes, we say this today with confidence, together with our brothers from the Delegation sent by the beloved Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to take part in the celebration of the Holy Patrons of Rome. Today is also a celebration of communion for the whole Church, as seen by the presence of the metropolitan archbishops who have come for the blessing of the pallia, which they will receive from my representatives in their respective sees.
May Saints Peter and Paul intercede for us, so that we can joyfully advance on this journey, experience the liberating action of God, and bear witness to it before the world.
(from Vatican Radio)…