THE WEED

The Weed

 

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” – Matthew 16:15

 

“They’re just wild flowers, Jane. We actually call them weeds.” My friends were laughing at me as I tried to take a picture of dandelions while we were hiking up a mountain. I didn’t know then that dandelions are considered weeds but I find them real pretty so I focused my lens on a flower and took a picture of it. “Hmm, that turns out real nice,” commented my friend after seeing the picture I took. I replied “I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.”

God, just like the weeds, can be found anywhere and everywhere and our knowledge of Him determines the kind of relationship we have with Him. Sometimes it can go to the extremes. Either we know so little about Him that we do not even know how to relate with Him, or we think we know much that we take Him for granted and focus on something else. It’s all a matter of where we put God in our lives and what takes most of our attention. It’s all a matter of what we prioritize and what we set aside. Jane Gonzales (mjsg2468@yahoo.com)

 

REFLECTION:

To walk closer to Him each day is the reason why God made us. It is the best way to know Him.

 

Oh God, ignite a flame of passion in my heart that burns with desire to know You more and to understand Your ways more fully. Amen.

 

A Holy Chair?

 

Somebody asked me once on February 22, “Father, since when did we venerate chairs as saints? Isn’t that idolatry?”

Don’t laugh! It’s a very good question. Does a chair become holy because St. Peter used to sit on it? Did he in his time actually have a special chair? Probably not. So, what is today’s feast all about?

The ancient Romans celebrated on February 22 the festival of “Parentalia.” It was a day when the ancestors were remembered — as we do today on November 2, All Souls Day. During the celebration, usually a meal, a chair was decorated to represent and honor the dead. In other words, not the chair was honored or venerated but the deceased person(s) the chair represents. For the Christian community in Rome, Peter was without doubt the most important ancestor and so this feast became part of the liturgical calendar.

As you know very well, Peter was not a hero from the beginning even though he was able to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, which Jesus saw as a special inspiration from God. But he denied Jesus. Peter also was not near the Cross. And when we read the Acts of the Apostles carefully together with the letters of St. Paul, we can see that Peter had difficulties to stand up for what he believed in.

There is a nice legend about Peter and a small church in Rome commemorates the event. During the persecution Peter got scared — again. So he left Rome and outside the city he met the Lord. “Quo vadis, Domine?” he asked, “Where are you going, Lord?” And Jesus answered, “I go to Rome to be crucified in your stead.” Ashamed, Peter turned around and was arrested. When he was about to be crucified he asked to hang there upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying the same way his beloved Master died.

It is never too late to become a hero of faith. It might not be death that makes us finally heroes; it may be a situation when we have to stand up for our faith, for our Christian values and convictions. May we not miss that most important moment – as St. Peter did not miss it. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

Reflection Question:

Do I pray regularly for the successor of St. Peter? Do I prepare myself in prayer for that moment when courage is demanded from me to defend my faith?

 

Lord, today I pray for the successor of St. Peter, our Holy Father. May he have the strength and courage to guide Your Church through difficult times and guide us without fear. Amen.

 

St. Elwin, pray for us.