555. June 29, Sts Peter & Paul (II)

Meditations no. 485 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

The Catholic Church is founded on the Apostles Peter and Paul, who suffered martyrdom in Rome.

All the feasts of the Apostles are joyful occasions for the Church, but today’s especially, since the Apostles Peter and Paul are rightfully considered by the faithful as the first pillars, not only of the Holy Roman See, but also of the universal Church of the living God, dispersed throughout the world. St Peter is the rock upon which the Lord has built his Church, which has its centre and head in Rome. St Paul is the Apostle of the universal Church, which, ever united to its head, brought the light of Christ to all peoples. They sealed the unity and universality of the Church with the supreme testimony of martyrdom.

Church Tradition, confirmed by archaeological findings, has transmitted news to us about their sufferings and death in Rome. St Leo the Great was referring to this city when he spoke these words: Those two Apostles have raised you to such heights of glory that you have been converted into the holy nation, the chosen people, into the royal and priestly city and - thanks to the chair of blessed Peter - into the capital of the world… such that the supremacy which is yours by divine religion far surpasses everything you achieved by earthly domination.

St John the Evangelist records the words Peter heard from our Lord’s lips, when He foretold how he would suffer torture and death on account of His Name: Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you did gird yourself and did walk where you would. But when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you and lead you where you would not. And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him: Follow me. Paul too had much to suffer for the faith, as Christ himself announced to Ananias, after his conversion on the road to Damascus: for this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. The two Apostles were sharers of Christ’s Cross in a very special way, to the point of suffering death during the persecution of the Emperor Nero. God our Father, today you give us the joy of celebrating the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Through them your Church first received the faith. Keep us true to their teaching.

Today too, the Church is persecuted in very different ways.

One of the Readings of the Mass reminds us of the first persecution unleashed in Jerusalem on the Church, shortly after Pentecost. And at the same time Herod, the king stretched forth his hands, to afflict the Church. And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to take up Peter also. Thus began a long series of sufferings which, as the Lord had foretold, would always accompany the path of his disciples on earth. The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

The story is relevant today, although the manner of persecution is different. Nowadays the Church is persecuted more violently than in the first centuries of Christianity. Masked or unmasked, the persecutors appear in more places, with greater strength and more means. If they can, they avoid creating martyrs, by making people appear as apostates before Christians and non-Christians alike - although they have not denied the Faith.

During the first centuries, the devil tried to destroy the faith of the Christians through violence and martyrdom. However, at other times he has used the clever stratagems of the ancient serpent, trying to deceive men just as he did our first parents. St Augustine teaches: Just as patience against the lion was required of our elders, so we need to be vigilant against the dragon. Persecution against the Church never ceases, be it by the lion or by the dragon, and it is more to be feared when it comes deceiving rather than bloodthirsty. In other times, Christians were incited to turn their back on Christ; in these times they are taught to deny Christ. Then, the devil compelled; now, he teaches. Then, he used violence; now he is insidious. Then, the lion’s roar could be heard; now, since he presents himself under an apparent meekness and indirectly, he is hard to discover. It is a known fact that he went violently against the Christians so they would turn their back on Christ… but they, confessing Christ, were crowned. Now he teaches them how to deny Christ and the deception is that they do not appear to separate themselves from Christ.

In our own times, many Catholics are deprived of their most basic rights: freedom of worship is denied them; they cannot spread the Faith; they are discriminated against in their professional life; they are submitted to campaigns of defamation and calumny… And this happens not only in atheistic countries or in those dominated by an anti-religious ideology, but in nations which pride themselves in a pluralism that often is only in appearance.

In 1941 our Father wrote: Communism and those who open their doors to it in various nations, form international organisations which cross the frontiers between countries, including the barriers caused by language, class and educational distinction. They form political parties with a materialistic solution to life. They even have a sort of asceticism -like a godless religion - which gives them abundant means. And they have men specially prepared to persecute religion, morality, truth, law and honour. They take advantage of human weakness: that of the body and the tendency of the human understanding towards doubt.

It is necessary… for us to unite ourselves to other sons of the Church, not only to counteract the action of these evil organisations, but also to attract all souls, including those who form part of these organisations. Ours is a task of love, of charity, of understanding: of sound teaching.

We should pray for Catholics under persecution, and tell others about their sufferings for the Faith.

Our love for the Church should lead us to pray for persecuted Catholics in one way or another, as the first Christians did. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison. But prayer was made without ceasing by the Church unto God for him. And, when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shined in the room. And he, striking Peter on the side, raised him up, saying: Arise quickly. And the chains fell off from his hands. The unanimous prayer of the Church moved the Lord to carry out this miracle, freeing Peter from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

In our times, nevertheless, a veil of silence and ignorance hangs over the sufferings of so many brethren in the faith who suffer persecution for justice’ sake. This absence of solidarity, and even basic recognition of their trials causes them more pain and sadness than the very persecution of which they are the victims.

The Roman Pontiffs have raised their voices many times to denounce situations of this sort, but their cry often goes unheeded or is deadened by those who have a stronghold on the means of communication. The international means of social communication… deliberately leave out many things, and they distort others. The very instruments of public opinion which call themselves ‘Catholic’ not infrequently take up these falsehoods. Thus they publish seditious or misleading information, at times out of ignorance or because they have had a poor Christian formation. Sad to say, at times they publish things out of envy, suspicion, as sectarian fanatics or out of a heightened nationalism which maintains a very narrow vision of universal issues. They may also have scant apostolic sensitivity.

Our Father warned us of this, because he too suffered in his own flesh the same suffering of so many Catholics who find themselves alone confronting the persecution of those who hate the Church For the Catholics of other nations are not well informed and they believe that those who suffer for the Church do so for merely temporal reasons. He did not want such sufferings to be unknown to their other brothers in the Faith. That is why he asked us to be ready to spread the truth, so there would be Christian unity and authentic fraternity among Catholics the world over. They should know the real facts of what is happening in other places. I do not want any of you to experience the bitterness of feeling alone, the bitterness of indifference, he used to say. At the same time, he exhorted us to have a big heart - roman, which means universal - in order to widen our apostolic horizons.

As we commemorate the martyrdom of Sts Peter and Paul today, we make these desires our own. And we make our petitions on behalf of the whole Church, especially for those brethren in the Faith who are now suffering persecution.

If we go to the intercession of her who is Mater Ecclesiae and Regina pacis, the Lord will be pleased to hear our prayers.