As I watched and waited for the new Pope to appear to the Vatican City crowd below, I could not help but shed a few tears. After all, this is the Church of Jesus Christ who installed the very first Pope, St. Peter, who is well known as Simon Peter in the New Testament's Book of St. Matthew.
As the camera panned across the faces of the faithful people who were there to watch, my thoughts turned to the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible, Matthew 16:18, Jesus says "Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and gates of hell will not prevail against it." It is a remarkable site to witness the work of Christ continue on and in my view stronger than ever.
Jesus is the founder of the Catholic Church. The Pope is the one chosen to continue the legacy of Our Lord. Even when it is a historic fact and there are records of every Pope that ever lived, there are still those who doubt. It is no different today than it was during the time of Christ. There were plenty of non-believers back then, just as there is today. However, here we are some two thousand plus years later and Christ's Catholic Church is still standing. This is not a surprise to the believers and followers.
As much as the naysayers like to criticize the Catholic Church for it's recent scandals, they should first stop and think that they are criticizing the Church of Our Lord. They should have more reverence and respect.
God Bless Pope Francis.
No comments:
Post a Comment