YOU ARE
PETER, ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
(Matthew 16:13-19)
Today we celebrate the Chair of St Peter. This celebrates
the authority given to Peter as the head of the universal Church. By extension
we equally celebrate the leadership roles of the successors of Peter. We call
to mind the respect we should accord the men God has entrusted the care of the
Church to.
We wish to observe by the power of the word of God that the
success and achievements of Peter is to a large extent thanks to the
collaboration and prayerful support of the early Christians.
In our own time are we building the Church or destroying it?
Are we obedient to the teachings of the Church or are we always opposing and
destructively criticizing everything that has to do with the Church?
We are the temple of God and as such our soul is the Church.
God entrusts the keys to these souls in our hands. Do we edify them? Do we lead
souls to God or away from God in our various capacities?
The key handed over to Peter is the key to heaven. Have the
leaders of the Church today become people who unleash hell and mayhem on the
people? The key is of love and charity. Where then is the abuse of power and
ecclesiastical offices coming from?
We thank God for Peter and all the saintly leaders of the
Church whose faith has sustained the Church of Christ for these ages. We thank
God that the human elements and devil's plan has not pulled down the Church
till our own time.
The prophesy that the gates of hades will not prevail
against the Church will be truer if we cooperate with the spirit of God, if we
do not hand over the authority that make us children of God to the enemy of our
salvation. Let us not allow materialism, indifference, religious syncretism and
secularism to make us lose focus of who really holds the key.
Let us be strong in faith and uphold the faith of our
Fathers. Let us be good collaborators with the shepherds of the Church. Let us
be wise and prayerful in choosing who should pilot the affairs of the Church of
Christ. Let ours be a Church that builds true faith and promotes true worship
of God in Spirit and in truth. Let the authority of the Church not be silenced
by the evil forces in our world (the kidnappers, the evil political thugs, and
the 'godfathers' and 'godmothers' of immorality. May the Church continue to be
the only key to set people free from bondage, from poverty of the mind, from
fetishism. May she remain the voice of the voiceless and her leaders be like
caring mothers to feed, nourish and provide the spiritual benefits of the world
in crisis. Let us have a Church that will rise to bind on earth whatever that
God detests and loose upon earth heavenly blessings so that God's will may be
done on earth as it is in heaven.
LET US
PRAY
Thank You Jesus for entrusting Your Church into the care of
humans elected as wise stewards to give the household of God their food at
proper times. Thank You for being with the Church for these number of Years. Do
not leave it now. We need You now than ever. In the face of the various attacks
on the teaching authority of the Church from within and from without, we pray
that You keep our leaders firm on Christ the Solid rock. Continue to strengthen
our faith in You. Strengthen our leaders all the more and give us the grace to
be good followers that we may all gather with the jubilant Church when our work
here on earth is done. Oh God, bless us and keep us all faithful through Christ
our Lord our Lord. Amen
St. Peter, Pray for us.
God bless your Monday
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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