The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle
H. Francisco J. Posada, L.C.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
May I love you, Lord, so that my life may be a constant yes to your will. Give me the wisdom I need to know what You ask of me, how I should act, what I should say, etc.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 16:13-19
At that time, when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples this question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They answered him, “Some say that you are John the Baptist; others, Elijah; others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”.
Then he asked them, “And who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter spoke up and said to him, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”.
Then Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of John, for this has not been revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. The powers of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
When I was twelve years old, one of my cousins came to my house to invite me to a vocational center; at that time I didn't know exactly what that was, but I accepted anyway and we went for a weekend. What I liked the most was when we played on Saturday and we had to search the place for clues to put together a map and find the «treasure»; there were several groups of kids and we were all looking for the same things. After that, in the summer, he invited me to go for a month and I also accepted. At the end of this month I stayed at the center and was there for six years; then I went to the United States to continue studying for four years and now I am in Rome in my second year.
In the little story of my vocation I discover how the response I have given to Christ in my life has matured. Who are you? This is the question that Jesus asks all of us in different ways and, throughout our lives, we try to answer him. The answer is not the same each time because we mature and learn more things.
Today, as we celebrate the Chair of St. Peter, we remember in a special way Pope Francis who, in his own life, has had an experience of Christ that has led him to respond to his invitation to follow him to this day. On his journey there have been joyful moments and difficult moments, but trusting in the Lord with all his heart, he has gone ahead saying with St. Peter «You are the Son of God». And it is thanks to God that he can follow his path because he has accepted in his life the Spirit who gives life to all things.
«Do I renew my encounter with Jesus every day?“. It is possible that we are people who are curious about Jesus, that we are interested in things about the Church or religious news; that we open internet pages and newspapers, and talk about sacred matters. But in this way, we remain only at the level of what people say, of surveys, of the past, of statistics. Jesus is not interested in this. He does not want ”reporters“ of the spirit, much less Christians of facade or statistics. He is looking for witnesses, who tell him every day: ”Lord, you are my life“. Encountering Jesus, experiencing his forgiveness, the apostles witnessed a new life. They no longer thought of themselves, but gave themselves completely.”
(Homily of H.H. Francis, June 29, 2019).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Read or listen for fifteen minutes to a document, homily or speech of Pope Francis.
Farewell
We thank You, Lord, for all Your benefits, You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
