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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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Sunday’s sermon was on the question “who do you say I am?”. Our pastor isn’t a great homilist, but this one was spectacular!
EF Mass for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. Father contrasted the two: Peter the impetuous lover of God, and Paul who was on fire, initially against the Church but then for it, both martyred for their faith, Peter on Vatican Hill who was buried where the main altar of St. Peters Basilica is now located, Paul outside the walls where the church of that name is now. He also spoke about the conflict in the early Church over whether non Jewish converts had to convert to Judaism before becoming Christian and how that was resolved at the Council of Jerusalem.
I talked about three possible responses to claims of religious truth: “Isn’t that interesting?” “Is that useful?” and “Is it true?” And I talked about how Peter and Paul confronted Rome with a message that demanded the third response. In particular, I talked about their bones being a hard fact with significant implications. Why were they even there? There’s really only one reason, and one implication.
When St. Paul was converted and began the process of entrusting himself to others whom he had persecuted, Jesus said to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me.” Our Lord considered that the Church, the believers, were His own body and Himself.
Today there are more Christians being persecuted worldwide than in the time of St. Stephen, who prayed that the actions of those who stoned him to death not be held against them. As this was happening, people were laying their cloaks at St. Paul’s feet.
St. Paul was led out of prison by angels, the doors were opened, and he went out into the city.
I personally find the figure of St. Paul fascinating on so many levels. One interesting aspect of his preaching, the Apostle to the Gentiles, we were reminded in the homily, is that he refused to let pre established barriers, whether via religious practices, customs or Roman law, dictate the limits of his evangelism. His work with differing communities, with patience, did not set up stumbling blocks to their reception of the Good News. He appealed to each group who had not known of Christ using their cultural practices and values as a starting point. He worked with their beliefs and encouraged what was good in them.
One of the best sermons I have ever heard – it was the last mass celebrated by one of our younger priests (he is moving to another parish as of July 1). He talked about conversions starting with the examples of Peter and Paul, discussing his own and focusing on the necessity of turning to Christ. He made some concluding remarks exhorting the people to always know that God loves us each personally, that we should never fail to show up at mass where He is and that true happiness can only come from true holiness. He did this without hyperbole or theatrics – just with pure love of Christ. I will never forget Fr. Joseph’s words.
Wanted to add as my own personal take on our homily: It was a fantastic homily for young people to hear. From where I was I could see the faces of some who seemed very interested. We are blessed that our priests convey the adventure of Catholicism, and the confidence that our mission will be sustained surprisingly and wondrously by God’s grace at every step.
Notwithstanding the feast day, the EF Mass at which I assisted closed a retreat, so Father preached a catechesis on the Mass as sacrament and sacrifice, in which Christ is both the only perfect offering for sin as well as our Food.
He touched on how Rome is laid out with Peter and Paul’s statue at the entrance. Also, the shape of a key hole. I really enjoyed the music yesterday and didn’t realize there was music commemorating those saints. That is the first time I realized not all missals are equal.
Peter was minding his own business (quite literally) when the Lord called him. He immediately followed and his whole life was changed.
Paul was minding the business of others when the Lord called him and he too followed right away, going from the Church’s most ardent persecutor to one of its most able proponents.
We too are called to such a conversion.
Christ called Peter and Paul despite their flaws and He has called each of us to be part if his Church.
Two points…The church goes on through good popes and not so…good pastors and not so…The Church is the Authority wherein we have true freedom. Father also made a point for the many young people in attendance…the saddest thing he ever sees is a young person leaving the Church for they leave Jesus…since only in The Church does He come to us in Holy Communion.
Father talked about apostolic succession, the importance of tradition, and tied this into our values as Americans. This from a Filipino priest in the OF.
A wonderful EF high Mass in Camarillo, Ventura County, California. Father explained that as one enters Rome from the highway what dominates the skyline is the cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica. It is 500 feet high and if one drops a plumb line from its center, 30 feet under the papal altar in the underground excavations on can get a glimpse of Peter’s bones. Around the cupola one can read in very large letters “Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam”. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and to thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. [I noted no mention of who is Peter to judge here].
It was a wonderful homily, over 200 in attendance and afterwards we had a send-off party for our wonderful priest, Father Joseph Illo (he keeps a blog too), who is moving from Chaplain of Thomas Aquinas College to head a parish and build a St. Philip Neri Oratory with several other priests in downtown San Francisco at the request of Archbishop Cordileone. Father Illo is a holy man and will be fabulous for San Francisco. The parish he is going to already offers daily TLM. We will miss him but God has already sent us two other priests that have learned the ancient mass.
Sung EF mass every-Sunday at St. Mary Magdalen Chapel at 10 am, in Camarillo, California.
Give yourself to Christ, let him use you to do His work. You don’t have to be perfect. Saint Peter and Saint Paul, who were both imperfect, gave their lives completely to Christ to do His work. And they built the Church. Do not think we cannot do great things when we give ourselves fully to Christ as they did.
I was in Sacramento for a wedding Saturday and saw there was an FSSP parish nearby, St Stephen the 1st Martyr, and wouldn’t miss the opportunity even though the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was much closer (walking distance from my hotel, in fact), which is absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t help but pray a decade there after the ordination Mass for deacons on Saturday.
Absolutely gorgeous high altar and Solemn High Mass with first Mass celebrated by Fr. Joseph Heffernan, FSSP who did great. Unfortunately my young ones were really itchy by that point, so I didn’t stay for his first blessings.
Fr. Heffernan’s homily definitely struck a chord: that it was God who turned Simon the fisherman, who denied Him three times in the most selfish and vulgar ways as well as that of the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus infamous persecutor of the early Church and witness to the stoning of St. Stephen. As the prayer of those in the early Church aided Saint Peter in his miraculous escape from prison and the prayer of the Protomartyr turned the heart of Saint Paul, so should we today pray for instead of just complaining about the failings of our bishops and Holy Father.
Hmm wasn’t organized so well as it seems to conflate the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament with St Stephen’s. The Cathedral is a most beautiful structure, though a far more typical table alter (though it’s a bit more centrally located than I would prefer with a seating area behind the altar as well as to the side, with a large suspended Crucifix. Marble throughout with beautiful mosaics and a rotunda rivaling that of the California state capital with a gorgeous portrayal of the Holy Spirit that proved most difficult to capture with my camera.
St Stephen’s has the great high altar and is far more typical of the generation of humble & relatively ordinary rural parish church architecture before the wreckovations of the late 60’s and early 70’s.
Sts. Peter and Paul were both maniacs. Perhaps what our Church needs today is more maniacs.
Since yesterday was the anniversary of my mother’s death, I was there, but not there during yesterday’s homily, which I am sure Father made some excellent points about the Byzantine Theology of the Papacy, how he is a father figure and the emphasis is upon the local Bishops which doesn’t take away from the headship of the Church.
Star of the Sea in San Francisco had a Dominican Rite mass at 11am. Father touched on many excellent points about SS. Peter and Paul.
However, He started specifically by discussing the “Pride” Parade in SF going on at the same time. Father commented that religion used to be visible in the public square, whilst sexuality belonged in the private domain. Now sexuality is publicly proclaimed, while religion is relegated to the private sphere. For example, we don’t see public processions such as Corpus Christi so much anymore.
He mentioned a gay friend of his is attending the “pride” parade for the purpose of evangelization. Father commented the fellow is “risking his life.” Oh, if only that were hyperbole.
I finally got my hearing aids and can now post here. I had heard that this assistant priest had good sermons.
It was based on: “…on this rock I will build my Church”
NO plurals: “…on this ROCK”
THIS is the Real Religion.
THIS is the One, True Church:
not Islam, not any other Church.
Part of the proof: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you”
Remembering a time when clerics were treated with honor and respect as representatives of Christ, now many priests are afraid to go out in clerics.
Some are ridiculed, some have even been spat upon.
This is a time for courage, not a time us to hide.
Pray for priests and religious that they may be courageous and speak the Truth.
correction:
“not a time us to hide”
should be:
“not a time for us to hide”
Yesterday, as the feast of Sts Peter and Paul is one of our patronal feasts; the Cathedral and Shrine of St Paul. Father talked about the history of the day, that there were previously processions between St Peters and St Paul outside the walls, how this became a feast for the two martyred apostles, who were one; where Peter went, Paul followed as they had each undergone a conversion. We had on display our relic, a brick from the tomb of St Paul, together with a small statue.