Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew |
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Solemnity Saints Peter and Paul, apostles
esus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his Disciples, saying : whom say men¹ that the Son of man is? But they said ²: Some John the Baptist, and othersome Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the Prophets. Jesus saith to them : But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou³, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. And I say to thee⁴: That thou art Peter⁵; and upon this Rock⁶ ⁷ will I build my Church⁸, and the gates of Hell ⁹ shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee¹⁰ the keys¹¹ of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind ¹² upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heavens: and whatsoever thou shalt loose¹³ in earth, it shall be loosed also in Heavens.
¹ Whom say men : Christ intending here to take order for the founding, regiment, and stability of his Church after his decease, and to name the Person to whom he meant to give the general charge thereof, would before by interrogatories draw out (and namely out of that one whom he thought to make the chief), the profession of that high and principal Article: That he was the son of the living God, which being the ground of the Church’s faith, was a necessary quality and condition in him that was to be made Head of the same Church, and the perpetual keeper of the said faith, and all other points thereon depending .
² But they said : When Christ asked the people’s opinion of him, the Apostles all indifferently made answer: but when he demanded what themselves thought of him, then lo, Peter, the mouth and head of the whole fellowship answered for all. Chrys. ho. 55, in Matt.
³ Blessed art thou : Though some other (as Nathaniel, John I. 49) seem to have before believed and professed the same thing, for which Peter is here counted blessed, yet it may be plainly gathered by this place, and so S. Hilary and other think, that none before this did further utter of Him, than that He was the Son of God by adoption as other Saints be, though more excellent than other be. For it was congruity and Christ’s special appointment, that he upon whom he intended to found His new Church, and whose faith He make infallible, should have the pre-eminence of this first profession of Christ’s natural divinity, or, that He was by nature the very son of God, a thing so far above the capacity of nature, reason, flesh, and blood, and so repugnant to Peter’s sense and sight of Christ’s humanity, flesh, and infirmities, that for the belief and public possession thereof he is counted blessed, as Abraham was for his faith: and hath great promises for himself and his posterity, as the said Patriarch had for him and his seed. According to Basil saith: Because he excelled in faith, he received the building of the Church committed to him.
⁴ And I say to thee : Our Lord recompenseth Peter for his confession, giving him a great reward, in that upon him He builded his Church, Theophylact upon this place.
⁵ Thou art Peter : Christ (in the first of John v. 42) foretold and appointed that this man then named Simon, should afterward be called Cephas, or Petrus, that is to say, a Rock, not then uttering the cause, but now expressing the same, namely (as S. Cyril writeth) For that upon him as upon a firm rock his Church should be builded. Whereunto S. Hilary agreeing saith: O happy foundation of the Church in the imposing of thy new name, etc. And yet Christ here doth not so much call him by the name Peter or Rock, as He doth affirm him to be a rock: signifying by that Metaphor, both that he was designed for the foundation and groundwork of His house, which is the Church, and also that he should be of invincible force, firmity, durableness, and stability, to sustain all the winds, waves, and storms that might fall or beat against the same. And the Adversaries objecting against this, that Christ only is the Rock or foundation, wrangle against the very express Scriptures and Christ’s own words, giving both the name and the thing to this Apostle. And the simple may learn by S. Basil’s words, how the case standeth: Though (saith he) Peter be a rock, yet he is not a rock as Christ is. For Christ is the true unmoveable rock of himself. Peter is unmoveable by Christ the rock. For Jesus doth communicate and impart his dignities, not voiding Himself of them, but holding them to Himself, bestoweth them also upon others. He is the light, and yet, you are the light: He is the Priest, and yet He maketh Priests; He is the rock, and He made a rock.
⁶ And upon this rock : Upon that which he said Peter was, will He build his Church: and therefore by most evident sequel He foundeth his Church upon Peter. And the Adversaries wrangling against this, do against their own conscience and knowledge; specially seeing they know and confess that in Christ’s words speaking in the Syriac tongue, there was no difference at all between Petrus and Petra: yea, and that Greek words also though differing in termination, yet signify one thing, to wit a rock, or stone, as themselves also translate it. John I 42. So that they which profess to follow the Hebrew, or Syriac, and the Greek, and to translate immediately out of them into Latin or English, should if they had dealt sincerely, have thus turned Christ’s words, Thou are a rock, and upon this rock: or, Thou art Peter, and upon this Peter will I build my Church: For so Christ spake by their own confession without any difference. Which doth expressly stop them of all their evasions, that Petrus the former word is refered to the Apostles: and Petra the latter word, either to Christ only, or to Peter’s faith only: neither the said original tongues bearing it, nor the sequel of the word, upon this, suffering any relation in the world but to that which was spoken of in the same sentence next before: neither the words following which are directly addressed to Peter’s Person, nor Christ’s intention by any means admitting it, which was not to make himself or to promise himself to be the head or foundation of the Church. For his Father gave him that dignity, and he took not that honour to himself, nor sent himself, nor took the keys of Heaven of himself, but all of his Father. He had his commission the very hour of his incarnation: And though S. Augustine sometimes refer the word (Petra) to Christ in this sentence (which no doubt he did because the terminations in the Latin are divers, and because he examined not the nature of the original words which Christ spake, nor of the Greek, and therefore the Adversaries which otherwise flee to the tongues, should not in this case allege him), yet he never denieth but Peter also is the Rock and head of the Church, saying that himself expounded it of Peter in many places, and allegeth also S. Ambrose for the same in his Hymn which the Church singeth. And so do we allege the holy Council of Chalcedon. Act. 3 pag. 118. Tertullian, de praescript. Origen, Hom. 5 in Exo. S. Cyprian, De unit, Ec. S. Hilary, Can. 16 in Mat. S. Ambrose, Ser. 47, 68 lib. 6, in cap. 9. Luke. S. Jerome, Lib. 1 in Jovin. and in ca. 2 Isa. and in ca. 16. Hier. S. Epiphanius, In Anchor. S. Chrysostom, Hom. 55 in Mat. S. Cyril, Lib. cap. 12. com. In Jo. S. Leo Ep. 89. S. Gregory, Lib. 4 ep. 32, ind. 13 and others: everyone of them saying expressly that the Church was founded and builded upon Peter. For though sometimes they say the Church to be builded of Peter’s faith, yet they mean not (as our Adversaries do unlearnedly take them) that it should be builded upon faith either separated from the man, or in any other man: but upon faith as in him who here confessed that faith.
⁷ Rock : The Adversaries hearing also the Fathers sometimes say, that Peter had these promises and prerogatives, as bearing the Person of all the Apostles or of the whole Church, deny absurdly that himself in Person had these prerogatives. As though Peter had been the Proctor only of the Church or of the Apostles, confessing the faith, and receiving these things in other men’s names. Where the holy Doctors mean only that these prerogatives were not given to him for his own use, but for the good of the whole Church, and to be imparted to every vocation according to the measure of their callings: and that these great privileges given to Peter should not decay or die with his person, but be perpetual in the Church in his successors. Therefore S. Jerome to Damascus taketh this Rock not to be Peter’s person only, but his successors and his Chair. I (saith he) following no chief or principal but Christ, join myself to the communion of Peter’s chair, upon that rock I know the Church was built. And of that same Apostolic Chair S. Augustine saith: That same is the Rock which the proud gates of Hell do not overcome. And S. Leo, Our Lord would the Sacrament or mystery of this gift so to pertain unto the office of all the Apostles, and he placed it principally in Blessed Saint Peter the chief of all the Apostles, that from him as from a certain head he might pour out his gifts, as it were through the whole body, that he might understand himself to be an alien from the divine mystery that should presume to revolt from the solidity or steadfastness of Peter.
⁸ Build my Church : The Church or house of Christ was only promised here to be builded upon him (which was fulfilled, John 21, 15) the foundation, stone, and other pillars or matter being yet in preparing, and Christ himself being not only the supereminent foundation, but also the founder of the same; which is another more excellent quality than was in Peter, for which he calleth it my Church : meaning specially the Church of the new Testament. Which was not perfectly formed and finished, and distincted from the Synagogue till Whitsunday, though Christ gave Peter and the rest their commission actually before his Ascension.
⁹ Gates of hell : Because the Church is resembled to a house or a city, the adversary powers also be likened to a contrary house or town, the gates whereof, that is to say, the fortitude or impugnation shall never prevail against the city of Christ. And so by this promise we are assured that no heresies nor other wicked attempts can prevail against the Church builded upon Peter, which the Fathers call Peter’s See and the Roman Church. Count (saith S. Augustine) the Priests from the very See of Peter, and in that order of Fathers, consider who to whom hath succeeded: that same is the rock which the proud gates of Hell do not overcome. And in another place, that is it which hath obtained the top of authority, Heretics in vain barking round about it.
¹⁰ To thee : in saying, to thee will I give, it is plain that as he gave the keys to him, so he builded the Church upon him. So saith S. Cyprian, To Peter first of all, upon whom the Lord built the Church, and from whom he instituted and showed the beginning of unity, did he give this power. that that should be loosed in the Heavens, which he had loosed on earth. Whereby appeareth the vain cavil of our Adversaries, which say the Church was built upon Peter’s Confession only, common to him and the rest, and not upon his Person more that upon the rest.
¹¹ The keys : That is, the authority or Chair of doctrine, knowledge, judgement, and discretion between true and false doctrine: the height of government, the power of making laws, of calling Councils, of the principal voice in them, of confirming them, of making Canons, and wholesome decrees, of abrogating the contrary, of ordaining Bishops and Pastors, or deposing and suspending them: finally the power to dispense the goods of the Church both spiritual and temporal, which signification of preeminent power and authority by the word, keys, the Scripture expresseth in many places: namely speaking of Christ, I have the keys of death and Hell, that is, the rule. And again: I will give the key of the house of David upon his shoulder. Moreover, it signifieth that men cannot come into Heaven but by him, the keys signifying also authority to open and shut, as it is said Apoc. 3 of Christ: Who hath the key of David, he shutteth and no man openeth. By which words we gather, that Peter’s authority is marvellous, to whom the keys, that is, the power to open and shut Heaven, is given. And therefore by the name of keys is given that supereminent power which is called, in comparison of the power granted to other Apostles, Bishops, and Pastors, fullness of power. S Bernard. lib. 2 de considerant. c. 8.
¹² Whatsoever thou shalt bind : All kind of discipline and punishment of offenders, either spiritual (which directly is here meant) or corporal, so far as it tendeth to the execution of the spiritual charge, is comprised under the word bind. Of which sort be Excommunication, Anathematisms, Suspensions, degradations, and other censures, and penalties, or penances, enjoined either in the Sacrament of Confession, or in the exterior Courts of the Church, for punishment both of other crimes, and specially of heresy and rebellion against the Church, and the chief Pastors thereof.
¹³ Loose : To loose, is as the cause and offender’s case requireth, to loose them of any of the former bands, and to restore them to the Church’s Sacraments, and Communion of the Faithful, and the execution of their function, to pardon also either all or part of the penances enjoined, or what debts soever man oweth to God, or the Church, for the satisfaction of his sins forgiven. Which kind of releasing or loosing is called Indulgence : finally this whatsoever, excepteth nothing that is punishable or pardonable by Christ in earth, for he hath committed his power to Peter. And so the validity of Peter’s sentence, in binding or loosing whatsoever, shall by Christ’s promise be ratified in Heaven. Leo Ser. de Transfig. and Ser. 2 in annivers. assumpt. ad Pontif. Hilar. can. 16, in Matt. Epiph. in Anchorato prope initium. If now any temporal power can show their warrant out of Scripture for such sovereign power, as is here given to Peter, and consequently to his successors, by these words, whatsoever thou shall bind, and by the very keys, whereby greatest sovereignty is signified in God’s Church as in his family and household, and therefore principally attributed and given to Christ, who in the Scripture is said to have they key of David, but here communicated also unto Peter, as the name of Rock: if any temporal potestate can show authority of the like sovereignty, let them challenge hardly to be head, not only of one particular, but of the whole universal Church.
Translation taken from Douay-Rheims 1609 edition.