For Catholics, today's gospel is very important because it is one of the key texts on which we base our belief in what is called the Primacy of Peter and his successors. In fact, Catholic belief in the Pope as the head of the Church, the vicar of Christ on earth, is perhaps the most distinctive feature (not most important) of our Catholic faith. I say distinctive because the Catholic church is the only Christian Church to believe that the Primacy that Peter held amongst his Apostles was intended by Christ to be passed onto Peter's successors. Other Christian churches share either some or all of our beliefs. For example, the beliefs of Episcopal, Anglican or Lutheran Christians are very similar to our beliefs. The beliefs of Christian Orthodox churches are even closer. They have all seven sacraments, they share many of our beliefs about Mary and the Saints and statues and icons etc. But they do not believe that Christ intended the successors of Peter to hold primacy of authority.
The Catholic church does not teach that Peter was the first Pope in the way we see the Pope today; i.e., as someone whose role was very clearly defined and spelled out. Neither need we believe that the first or second successors of Peter saw themselves as "the Pope" (that title wasn't used in those early centuries) or as the Universal Shepherd of the entire Christian church.
What our church does believe and teach is that Christ intended that the special leadership role which he bestowed on Peter would be passed on to the successors of Peter. We believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the historical development in which the Bishop of Rome was gradually recognized as the Universal Shepherd of the whole Christian world.
As Catholics we reason that if Christ decided that the Apostles and the early church needed one person to be her leader and head, then surely the church that was much larger in numbers after the Apostles would need someone to be her leader and head. She would need someone who would maintain its unity, someone who would have the final say when disputes arose. Common sense and experience tell us that someone had to take the place of Peter as the leader and visible head of the church. There is ample evidence from early church documents to show that that "someone" was the Bishop of Rome and his successors. Catholics do not need a verse from the Bible to prove that Christ intended the successors of St. Peter to have a leadership ministry that would hold the church together when threatened by division. Implied in Jesus' desire for his church to continue is his desire for her to have an office or ministry that would be the visible center of her unity. It is in this context that Catholics believe that the office of Peter, now exercised by his successors, is of divine origin.
Papal Infallibility
Papal Infallibility is one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the Catholic church, even among Catholics. Before we look at what Papal Infallibility is, let us first be clear about what it is not.
Infallibility is not to be confused with impeccability (cannot sin) or with omniscience (knows all things). Popes can and do sin. St. Peter cursed and swore that he did not know Jesus. Some of the Medieval Popes lived scandalous lives. Also Popes can make mistakes and poor decisions. If a Pope were writing a book on theology as a private theologian, he could err in his statements.
So what is Papal Infallibility? Infallibility literally means "immunity from error." When used in a church or theological context, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit which protects the church from error when it solemnly defines a matter of "faith or morals." It is a negative gift; i.e., it guarantees that a particular teaching is not wrong. Infallibility does not ensure that a particular teaching is an adequate expression of a truth of faith or morals. Papal Infallibility is a dimension of the church's infallibility and not vice verse. Infallibility is a special gift of the Holy Spirit to the church to protect her from deviating fundamentally from the truth of the Gospel that he had entrusted to her.
Even thought the special gift of infallibility was present in the church down through the ages when she spoke on doctrines like the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist or the church's power to forgive sins etc., it was not until 1870 at Vatican Council I that our church formally defined or stated the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.
It should also be noted that the Pope speaks infallibly very rarely. In fact, since 1870 the special chrism or gift of infallibility has been invoked only once. In 1950 Pope Pius XII declared infallibly that after Mary had completed her life on earth she was assumed or taken body and soul into heaven. This doctrine is called the Assumption of Mary. Before the Pope made his declaration about Mary, he consulted with all the bishops of our church. When Pope Pius XII made the Assumption of Mary an "article of Faith" (something that all Catholics are called to believe in), he was only expressing in a solemn and formal way a teaching that has been part of the Catholic belief system for many centuries. In other words, no Pope will ever decide to pull some new teaching out of mid-air and state that Catholics everywhere must now believe this doctrine. When the church defines a doctrine as infallibly true, she is not inventing some new article of faith. Rather, she is setting forth in explicit terms what was previously believed implicitly.
Development of Doctrine
With other Christian churches, Catholics believe that revelation ended with Christ and the last of the Apostles. But Catholics also believe that over the centuries our understanding of God's revelation of himself to us has grown and matured, just as our own self understanding grows and matures. "The church might be compared to a flower box in which many seeds- God's revelation to people-have been planted; some are now blossoming, others are partly grown, and others have only just begun to appear-so the church's teachings are in various stages of development" (Anthony Wilhelm). As the centuries pass, the prayer and study of the church and the guidance of the Holy Spirit lead the church into an ever-greater understanding of Christ's teaching. Development of doctrine "is growth from partial to fuller vision, so what was believed continues to be believed, though its depths and consequences are more and more fully realized" (The Teaching of Christ). The church's infallibility and Mary's Assumption have been part of the Catholic belief system for centuries. Over the years the church's understanding of these doctrines grew and developed. Then at a particular moment in history the church was led to declare these beliefs to be infallibly true.
How Jesus Challenged and Loved Peter into Growth.
Reflecting on today's Gospel, Fr. Flor McCarthy writes about "the formation of a leader". He says:
The Gospel story shows that the primacy of Peter was not something that was invented by the Church later on. It went right back to the beginning, yes, to the mind and will of Christ himself.
Peter is one of the most interesting characters in the Gospel. It's clear that he had leadership qualities. But it's also clear that he had glaring weaknesses. In the Gospels we see his ups and downs. Sometimes he is very brave; other times he is very cowardly. Sometimes he is like a rock, other times he is more like a piece of jelly. He is almost too human. Certainly not our idea of a saint, or even the ideal person to be the head of Christ's Church.
But it's very interesting to see how Jesus dealt with him. How he helped him to grow into the man who was ready to lay down his life for him, and who eventually did. This growth was a gradual thing, and there were some regressions. But this is how growth happens. To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.
Let us take a closer look at the relationship between Jesus and Peter. It will help us to grow as human beings and as disciples of Jesus. And it will show us how best to help those we love to grow.
It all began when Jesus called him. Obviously Jesus saw potential in him. We all need someone to believe in us. It's hard to believe in ourselves if no one else believes in us.
Peter didn't think he deserved that call. He said, "lord, depart form me, for I am a sinful man'. Jesus did not deny that Peter was a sinner, but he challenged him to grow. We need to be challenged. Demands have to be made on us. Not to demand anything from someone is to condemn that person to sterility.
Jesus involved him in his work. He made him a partner in it, not a mere messenger boy. Responsibility helps people to grow.
He asked him to declare his loyalty. Once when large numbers of people were leaving him, Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Will you also go?' This forced Peter to look into his own heart, and to stand on his own two feet. This helps growth.
When Peter made his great declaration of faith: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God', Jesus praised him and promised him further responsibility. We all need recognition for work well done. We all need affirmation. This encourages further generosity.
Jesus corrected him. When Peter drew his sword in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus said to him, 'Put away your sword'. It takes courage on the part of the tutor to point out mistakes. And to learn from one's mistakes is an essential part of growth.
Jesus once told him off. Thus when Peter wanted to prevent him from going to Jerusalem, Jesus said, 'Get behind me, Satan, you are more of hindrance to me than a help'. At times the tutor may have to reprove. But there is an art in doing it.
Jesus confronted him with his failure to stay awake in the garden:' Can you not watch even one hour with me?' It doesn't help to let someone away with sloppiness and shoddiness.
He even threatened to cut him off over the feet-washing incident. We have to be stern at times and refuse to compromise on matters of principle.
He understood that when Peter denied him, he did so more out of weakness than our of malice. He forgave him and gave him the chance to begin again. We all need someone who can understand our weakness, and who doesn't write us off when we don't produce the goods right away.
But Jesus never spoilt Peter. That would be to ruin his chance of growing.
The thread which runs right through their relationship was love. Peter knew that Jesus loved him. Love is the climate in which people can grow. This was the rock in Peter's life.
We can imagine that Peter made a very good leader. A leader has to be aware of his own weakness. The experience of denying Jesus rid Peter of pride and blind reliance on his own resources. At the same time it enabled him to understand the weakness of others.
Peter's story is our story too. We too blow hot and cold. Sometimes we are strong, and other times we are weak. Without a warm relationship with Christ, we are only on the fringes of Christianity. We are like someone talking about love compared with someone who is in love.
A THOUGHT ON HOLINESS
Recently I came across the following piece on holiness.
Real holiness isn't about overtly pious behaviors, or even about enjoying glorious consolations in prayer. Holiness is about entering into God's life, giving one's life over to God, becoming like God, loving as God loves. And, of course, "becoming like God' and "loving as God loves" means self-giving, self-offering, selfless service of others modeled after the example of Jesus. Christian holiness, then, is always linked with the Cross, the pouring out of our lives in love and in service of others. The height of the Christian life, holiness, is the perfection of charity, the perfection of self-giving.
Real holiness is never abstract, "pie-in-the-sky," or angelic. In fact, holiness is never realized separate from "the stuff" of our ordinary daily lives. Holiness can only be found in life as we find it-at this moment, in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, according to the "cards we've been dealt in life." We are always being called to be patient, generous, attentive, caring, compassionate, forgiving at this moment, with these people whom I see in front of me. Will I give of myself here and now!. Will I think of others rather than only of myself at this moment? Holiness is always a matter of the now, and of the how we respond to the demands of the present encounter.
Because the path to holiness is always linked to the real circumstances of one's life, we can speak of different forms of ways of seeking holiness. Of course, the basic pattern of the Cross marks every authentic form of Christian holiness. But we can speak of distinctive forms that Christian spirituality can take according to one's age, gender, situation, and state in life. This is necessarily so since the shape of the challenge to give of oneself generously-the distinctive experience of the Cross-is different for a married Christian with children and a celibate Christian living alone in a rectory.
On the Lighter Side
According to an anonymous storyteller, three people who had recently died found themselves together before the gate of heaven. When asked by St. Peter what they had done to gain entrance, the first answered, "I was a physician and I helped many people to recover from their illnesses." Peter admitted the doctor to heaven and questioned the second person similarly, "Why should I let you in?" In response, she explained, "I was an attorney and I defended the rights of many innocent people." "Welcome to your eternal home," said Peter. Then he put the same question to the third candidate who replied, "I was the administrator of a Health Management Organization and I managed to keep health care costs to a minimum." After a few moments of thought, Peter decided, "You may come in," he said, "but you can stay for only three days!"