THE CHURCH: Mater Et Magistra

Peter and Paul have the extremely opposite personalities; Peter being impulsive and Paul being Decisive. Peter was an uneducated fisherman from a tiny town while Paul is a scholar of the Law and lives in a cosmopolitan port city. What they have in common is they are both sinners and transgressed greatly to Jesus and the Church. Peter denied Jesus while Paul persecuted the early Christians. Two stories of different nature and life paths but both are stories of sinfulness and of grace.

The remains of St. Peter and St. Paul are buried in their respective basilicas. St. Peter’s is found underneath the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica otherwise known as the Vatican, while St. Paul’s is found in sarcophagus under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Paul outside the wall.

On the other hand, popular belief says a portion of the skulls of the 2 apostles were enshrined together at the Basilica of St. John Lateran because it is to be the Mother and Head of all the Churches around the World because it is the seat of the Papacy.

Architecturally, this Basilica marvels about the grandiose columns with the gargantuan sculptures of the 12 Apostles, Paul being the 12th in place of Judas.

I would like to use the imagery of this Basilica for our reflection for today because all the elements of the Church seemingly is present here namely Apostolicity, The Petrine Ministry, The Johannine Ministry and the Pauline Ministry.

The great apostles are honored here while the heads of Peter and Paul are said to be found here while the Church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

What does this Church tell us today?

That the Universal Church is grounded on Apostolicity. I would like to elaborate the points using the ministries and identities of the Apostles. (Barron)

1. The Johannine Identity of the Church. The contemplative and the scholastic characteristics of the Church. The Church is a house of Prayer and Theology, of asceticism, biblical interpretation, and of monastic life.

2. The Petrine Identity of the Church. The Church as hierarchical and a bastion of service and leadership.

3. The Pauline Identity of the Church . The Church is a missionary and ecumenical Church. We Preach. We cross the boundaries. We Dialogue. We reach out.

What does this feast mean to tell us today?

If the Church stands on great apostolic heritage, of Johannine, Petrine and Pauline;

Then it only means one thing. The Church is the Mater et Magistra. Mother and Teacher.

Not condemner..

Not exclusive..

Not individualistic..

Not isolationist..

Not lazy..

Not worldly..

Not political..

But Mother and teacher.......

It is a challenge for us to strike the balance of the three characteristics of apostolicity in our communities. We are missionaries but we should not focus on pets unsubstantial missionary rhetorics. We must be a missionary of a message, a missionary of the content of the faith and not just some rugged shallow missionary. To be a mother and a teacher is to wear

To wear our garbs faithfully.

To preach passionately.

To pray intensely.

To work fervently.

We are called to be models, to be mother and teacher is to be an example. In fact in ordination, we are commissioned to teach what you preach and to preach what you believe. To live what we preach is always an enduring invitation. However, to be a Mother and Teacher is also to preach even when we know we ourselves fall short of the things we preach. Even when we find it hard to be forgiving and sometime bitterness reigns in our hearts, speak and preach about forgiveness anyhow especially when we have to, especially when the Gospel impels us to do so.

Pope Benedict Tells us:

What would have become of Christianity if so many popes, bishops, and priests had proclaimed only that part of the Christian reality which they themselves had been able to live? We preach, not ourselves, but rather Christ Jesus (2 Cor 4:5), even when this is at the same time a scathing judgment upon ourselves. The subjective holiness of the religious will always fall short of the objective holiness of the message he has to convey.”

Even when we fall short of holiness and witnessing, the message must be conveyed. Mothers and Teachers are not perfect but the role of motherhood and being a teacher has to be fulfilled.