21st Sunday of the Year (A)

(Edited) Sunday reflections: (From) Years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

August 24, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 22:19-23
Psalm 138
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20

"Blest are you, Simon son of John!"

Peter's confession of Jesus as the Son of the living God, is (according to St. John Paul II), what we, as Church, have confessed and continue to confess over the centuries of the Catholic faith. It is an article of faith regularly confessed in the Confiteor of the Mass prayers - the prayer after the homily of the priest-presider. This is a very old practice in the Church. Rooted in Peter's confession, the early Christian communities (like the Corinthians in St. Paul's letters) continued this tradition every time they gathered around the Word, and broke the bread in remembrance of Christ, His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

Peter's confession of faith is a good example for all. Peter's faith was not always strong. It was tested as he saw the Lord enter into His Passion. All the faithful, like Peter, will have to endure tests of faith in God along life's journey. When adverse conditions enter one's life, some can be tempted, like Peter, to deny one's faith in Christ. But if ever anyone fails like Peter, that is not important. What is important is that all the faithful follow Peter's example, repent, and have faith again in God. It is Peter's repentance and restoration by Christ that is a good example for the Catholic faithful. All are invited to confess the sins that reveal their denial of knowing Christ. This is the reason God became man. Not to save the righteous among the faithful, but to save those who seek His mercy and forgiveness.

To be Catholic now is quite a challenge. For the world is beset by environmental changes that unsettle communities of people. And the world is at that threshold where the thin line between peace and war may be easily broken at any time. With calamities and conflicts populating our world, being Catholic now means taking a stand with Christ for faith, peace and confidence in Him. The stand for Christ will be stable if we source it from two traditional devotions: devotion to Christ in the Eucharist and devotion to Mary. This is the spiritual counsel that St. John Bosco gave in his time. It is a counsel the faithful can also follow. And it does not take much. For a devotion to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Mother are popular devotions in the family or parish where each Catholic belongs.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
"How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How inscrutable his judgment, how unsearchable his ways." (Romans 11)

Memorial of Saints (August 26)

St. Albert of Jerusalem and the First Carmelite Rule of Life

St. Albert was born of a well-known family in Parma, Italy. After studying theology and law, he became a canon at Holy Cross Abbey in Mortara, and then in 1184 A.D. became bishop of Bobbio. He was then translated to Vercelli, mediated a dispute between Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Clement III, and also negotiated a peace between Parma and Piacenza. In 1205 A.D., he was appointed Patriarch of Jerusalem which had been established as a Latin kingdom by the Crusaders in 1099 A.D.

St. Albert gives a rule to the Mt. Carmel hermits

St. Albert is especially known for a rule of life he composed for St. Brocard, the prior of the hermits living on Mount Carmel. This rule of life became the first rule of the Carmelites. It is a rule that is distinct from the other rules in existence - the rules of St. Basil, St. Benedict, and St. Augustine. St. Albert's rule imitated the style of the New Testament letters and includes many references to the early Fathers of the Church. Although the rule supported a new way of life, it is a simple formula of life that is in continuity with Scripture, the great traditions of early religious life, and the Desert Fathers.

The introduction to the rule given between 1206-1214 A.D.

Introduction:

"St. Albert, called by God's favor to be Patriarch of the church of Jerusalem, bids health in the Lord and the blessing of the Holy Spirit to his beloved sons in Christ, Brocard and the other hermits under obedience to him, who live near the spring on Mount Carmel.

Many and varied are the ways in which our saintly forefathers laid down how everyone, whatever his station or the kind of religious observance he has chosen, should live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ - how, pure in heart and stout in conscience, he must be unswerving in the service of his Master. It is to me, however, that you have come for a rule of life in keeping with your avowed purpose, a rule you may hold fast to henceforward; and therefore:"

Contents of the rule

Originally, the rule was written in the form of a letter without divisions into chapters. As it developed in history, it now comes to us with an introduction, 18 short chapters, and a conclusion. The rule has almost 100 quotations and allusions to Scripture and thus reveals a great fidelity to the spirit of the Bible. Recent records reveals the Rule of St. Albert organized in text as follows:

1. Introduction:

The introduction encourages a gospel way of life that centers on Christ and on allegiance to Him.

2. Chapters 1-6:

These chapters present an infrastructure or system for living out the centrality of Christ in one's life.

3. Chapters 7-11:

These chapters concretize the ideal presented in the introduction, describes the manner of living in community, and the foundations for this community.

4. Chapters 12-18:

These chapters describe the means necessary to attain the proposed ideal.

5. Conclusion:

The conclusion calls for fidelity and discernment in living out this norm of life.