In tonight’s reading, St Peter says that we should, like living stones, let ourselves be built into spiritual houses to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
When, I think of spiritual houses, I think of the many beautiful Catholic churches that I have visited. These certainly should inspire us to be built into spiritual houses acceptable to God.
Tonight, I am going to use a different type of image for the Church. I am using the image of a boat since recently the pope exchanged his Popemobile for a Pope-mo-boat for his visit to Venice.
A boat has long been associated with the Catholic Church. Peter as Pope is the new Noah or captain of the ship, and the Church is the boat, the Ark of Noah in the flood of the world's sin. Those within this ship are saved from the storm of God's wrath. We enter this ship through the water, the flood of baptism which is the New Testament sacrament of regeneration.
The image of the "safe boat of Peter" comes from the Gospel story in which Christ protects the boat of Peter in the stormy Sea of Galilee. Our first Pope Saint Peter himself uses the same imagery of Noah's Ark in chapter 3 of his first letter: “God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved though water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
A boat has long been associated with the Catholic Church. Peter as Pope is the new Noah or captain of the ship, and the Church is the boat, the Ark of Noah in the flood of the world's sin. Those within this ship are saved from the storm of God's wrath. We enter this ship through the water, the flood of baptism which is the New Testament sacrament of regeneration.
The image of the "safe boat of Peter" comes from the Gospel story in which Christ protects the boat of Peter in the stormy Sea of Galilee. Our first Pope Saint Peter himself uses the same imagery of Noah's Ark in chapter 3 of his first letter: “God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved though water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
So then, the Church on earth is the boat captained by Saint Peter or his successor. Granted, Peter was not always the perfect captain of the ship, for he denied Jesus three times. But he is still the divinely appointed captain. Even if we Catholics should be scandalized by any Pope in the history of the Church, we would be fools to jump overboard into the stormy seas of the world. For Peter is the sign of unity for the Church. Jesus said: "You are Peter and on this Rock I will build by Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it."
In Catholic churches, the portion of the building in which the laity sit during Mass is called the "nave," which is related to word "navy." It symbolizes the "boat" of the Church in which we safely sit.
In Catholic churches, the portion of the building in which the laity sit during Mass is called the "nave," which is related to word "navy." It symbolizes the "boat" of the Church in which we safely sit.
So, tonight we safely sit in our boat, our Church, and we watch with concern and some trepidation the stormy seas of the world in which we live. In hope, we remain confident that our boat will continue to withstand the stormy seas that seem to be on the horizon.
The TV series and the movie, Mission Impossible always used the line “Your job, should you choose to accept it” before the mission impossible team was sent on their nearly impossible mission. Today our job, should we choose to accept it, is to fill the boat with as many of our fellow travelers as we possibly can. For our boat is not full and there are many schools of fish yearning to be caught.
No comments:
Post a Comment