神父的話                

「你是伯多祿（磐石），在這磐石上，我要建立我的教會。」

今天的福音給了我們一個在聖經上的根據，就是為何天主教會那麼堅定地擁戴教宗，即現任的本篤十六世。他是伯多祿的第256任繼承人，而伯多祿就是我們這個唯一、至聖、至公、從宗徒傳下來的教會的第一任領導人。

耶穌問他的門徒說：「人們說人子是誰？」有人認為耶穌是先知中的一位，他們的權柄是來自天主。但是猶太人的領袖卻認為耶穌只是一個普通人，是木匠之子。而伯多祿卻承認耶穌為默西亞，是永生天主之子，正好表達出他對天主的恆久信德，因為天主就是生命，即使連死亡也不能戰勝祂。在若望福音中的第21章，耶穌肯定了伯多祿的信念。祂體會到人性的軟弱，也包括了伯多祿的軟弱：雖然承認了耶穌為天主子，但卻否認了耶穌三次，但天主是仁愛寬恕的，祂給了伯多祿第二個機會：耶穌三次問伯多祿說：「你愛我嗎？」，伯多祿也三次回答說：「主，是的，你知道我愛你。」耶穌就對他說：「你餵養我的羔羊…..你牧放我的羊群。」這樣耶穌就交託了伯多祿及他的繼承人看管祂的教會及這羊棧的鑰匙。

耶穌也同樣地向我們問祂對伯多祿問的同一個問題。我們的會應，不是他人說主是誰，而是我們對主信仰的經驗，我們對主長久接觸的回應。「你說我是誰？」的意思就是「你愛我嗎？」

聖言會 Jake Ferrer 神父
 

"You are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church"

The gospel today offers us one of the scriptural foundations for the Catholic Church's deep allegiance to the Holy Father, now Pope Benedict XVI, and the 265th Pope in an unbroken line of apostolic succession since the time of St. Peter, the first leader of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Jesus asked his disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" The crowds recognized Jesus as one of the prophets, who derived their authority from God. But the Jewish leaders considered Jesus merely as an ordinary person, the son of a carpenter. Peter's confession of faith, however, expresses an enduring faith to a God who is alive that even death has no power over it. In John 21, Jesus confirms the faith of Peter. Jesus recognizes human weaknesses, including that of Peter, who professed his faith and yet denied his Master three times. But God is all forgiving and all loving. Jesus gave Peter another chance. Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me"? And three times Peter responded, "Yes, Lord, I love you." With the words, "Look after my sheep… Feed my sheep," Jesus entrusted Peter and his successors, the care of His Church and key of the Sheep Gate.

The same question that Jesus asked Peter is also directed to each one of us; not based on what others say, but on our own faith experience and long encounter with the Lord. "Who do you say I am?" simply means, "Do you love me"?

Rev. Jake Ferrer, SVD