On the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Holy Father has released a new Apostolic Letter, Desiderio Desideravi, on the liturgical formation of the People of God. Its title is drawn from Luke 22:15 – “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
www.vatican.va
Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi, on the liturgical formation of the People of God, 29 June 2022
St. Peter and St. Paul were very different people. They each had an important mission for building up the early Church, and the way each saint served God and spread the Gospel was unique to the special gifts God gave him. But in many ways, St. Peter and St. Paul were quite alike. After reaching drastically low points (for Peter, denying Jesus; for Paul, persecuting the early Christians), both men decided to say yes to God. And their “Yes” changed everything for the early Church, leading to the Church we have today. Here are five quotes that show the deep faith of these great saints who, though different, are deeply connected and share a feast day:
“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” — St. Paul, Galatians 3:28
“By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” — St. Peter, 1 Peter 1:3–5
“We walk by faith, not by sight.” — St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:7
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” –St. Peter, John 6:68–69
“He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.” –St. Paul, Colossians 1:15–16
Happy feast day Saints Peter and Paul!
Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples
and, when they had finished breakfast, said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
John 21:15-19
#dailyingodsword
As we set out on our parish pilgrimage to the holy land, we will be sharing a small travelogue here so that you can join us in some way even as we carry you there in our hearts. We will remember you as we break bread at the holy sites where Jesus preached and healed and prayed, where he worked miracles and called his followers, from his birth to his passion to his risen appearances & ascension.
This excerpt from a poetic blessing starts us on our way.
For the Traveler
By John O’Donahue
Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in…
When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home…
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.
When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.
A journey can become a sacred thing…
May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.
May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest.
🙏 Until next time - from Jerusalem!
In introducing the language of friendship, Jesus ties "commandment" to inner freedom of heart. The disciples have this freedom precisely because they know "what [the] Master is doing." Jesus has invited his followers into intimate friendship all along. He shares openly with them. He has patience with their flaws. He isn't scandalized by their failures. He celebrates their successes. We, too, have been called by love and invited into a relationship with Jesus. It is you and I that Jesus chooses and appoints. He does so personally, not from a distant mountain shrouded in clouds. This "new commandment" to "love one another" is received around the shared table in the breaking of the bread.
Loving God and Father,
bring the truth, grace, and power of Your Love into our current situations, into our personal stories of pain, into the hearts of families, and into the needs of all your children.
Turn our sighs into songs,
our struggles into servanthood,
and our grumblings into the rumblings of a coming visitation of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Open Hearts had an ABBAFABulous time celebrating summer! Thanks to all who came out, and the parishioners and friends who stopped by & joined in the fun! You all helped make this a PARTY to remember. So much so, we are making it an annual event!
#exceptionalfamiliesministry
#Hecallsusfriends
#abbafab
That's a great turnout! God bless!
When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:51-62
#dailyingodsword
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Luke 2:41-51
#dailyingodsword
🎨 Immaculate Heart of Mary by L. Williams
