The Creator’s design for forming one bonded family is led by the invisible Creator and Christ, but is also led by a human authorized eye witness fatherly figure who acts as the bonded family’s visible God and Christ. Peter and the Apostles observed something very unusual and unimaginable at the time of Christ’s Baptism. Christ momentarily reversed roles of His authority with John the Baptist. When Christ approached John to Baptize Him, John initially objected to Baptize Christ, saying , “the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1: 27)., “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3: 14-15). Christ acknowledged John as a priest with authority from God to baptize and that authority is so absolute, even for Christ, to the point that Christ requested John to exercise His authority over Him, “Then he permitted Him.” (Matthew 3: 15). Although John testified that he baptized by water, the authority of God acted in his baptism and injected the fire of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by the Holy Spirit descending upon Christ followed the Baptism, “and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.” (Matthew 3: 16). As noted, the authority invested in John the Baptist is such a grandiose authority that is difficult to comprehend the willingness of Christ to will such authority to a human being, even though Christ was in human form.
Later on Christ declared that His authority would be invested in Peter and Christ stated, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16: 18). Unlike the temporary and limited authority of John to baptize Christ, Christ handed Peter His authority symbolized in the “Keys of Heaven and Earth.” As Christ continued to explain the nature of this authority handed to Peter, he said “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 17). The authority to Peter is great, but does not include creating Heaven and Earth or such things. Peter’s authority is in dealing with the issues of the Church which means the issues concerning those united with Christ in the one Holy family Church which we call “The Holy Roman Catholic Church.”
Non-Catholics object that Christ cannot possibly give such an authority to a human, but I find that even Peter, before anyone else objected, himself objected to such authority. Peter followed the example of John the Baptist when initially he objected when Christ handed him authority to baptize Him in the washing of the feet. The feet are the lowest part of the body and get dirty from walking with sandals. Washing the feet of a capable adult is only done by servants and not by masters to servants. Peter realized that Christ, in the washing of his feet, begins the actual transformation of His promised authority symbolized in the “Keys of the Kingdom” over His Church. Peter took the position of non-Catholics who reject the authority of the Pope over them and objected to the role reversal saying, “Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” (John 13: 8). Peter said what non-Catholics say – that the Pope has no authority of Christ invested in him over the Church. But, Christ disagreed with non-Catholics just as He warned Peter to accept such an authority handed to him or else, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13: 8). I find that answer is a warning for all of us who consider ourselves Christians and members of Christ's Church. It is possible that Christ would exclude anyone from His Body who is His Bride, a member of His Church, if the design of the Creator is not permitted –if Peter and His successors are not given authority over us. Certainly, sincere ignorance of the Creator's design is a valid excuse but it is not a guarantee that Christ would permit anyone who rejects the authority of Peter to become one with Him.
Peter exercised his authority even on Christ by refusing to permit Christ to be crucified, “Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” (Matthew:16:22). However, Christ rebuked Peter harshly for exercising his authority when thinking as a mere human being would think and Christ instructed Peter to become Christ and for Peter to exercise his authority as God in thoughts, desires, and choices saying, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Matthew 16:23). Peter was learning how to express his authority as a born anew creation Christ, but peter was still struggling when he exercised his authority over the ruling Romans and desires of the Sanhedrin by cutting the ear of a soldier to prevent the handing over of Christ. Yet again Christ taught Peter to think and act as God in all his dealings whether with the Church or outsiders saying, “Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?” (John 18:11). Having the greatest teacher, Christ, certainly the successors’ eye witness Peter and his successors will mature to exercise their authority as their teacher Christ.
Peter is so humble, as evidenced from the first time Christ called him, and Peter objected, “he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me LORD, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5: 8). Yet, it is Jesus who lowered to the feet of Peter and washed them on the Passover as stated in John 13. Peter still did not grasp nor accept this transfer of the keys of authority from Christ to him. The people who followed Christ and the Apostles had observed Peter and Christ over three years, and came to understand that Peter was elevated to the mirror of Christ. Peter, John, and Judas accompanied Christ in His trial and John was seen standing by the Cross with the Virgin Mary, yet the people singled out Peter when they said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”...“This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”...“Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” (Matthew 26: 69, 71 & 73). In other words, the people acknowledged that Peter is the mirror image of Christ and deserves a mirror punishment.
Christ likewise, acknowledged that Peter mirrored His authority and mirrored his death on a cross with arms stretched out, “when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.” (John 21: 18-19). Before Christ asked Peter three times, “Do you love me,” Peter was trying to grasp all that was happening and its relationship to the first fishing interaction with Christ by going fishing just as he did before Christ met him. Likewise, the Apostles were confused about the roles Christ was giving each of them, “Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” (John 21: 3). Simon is stating that he is comfortable with his humble role as a fisherman and unsure exactly of the new role Christ gave him. Peter is a humble man and very troubled and confused at the idea that Christ chose him to mirror Christ’s keys of heaven authority as the visible Groom Christ to the Bride Church. Christ expressed the key authority of mirroring Him to become one flesh in asking Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”...“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” (John 21: 15-16).
In the explanation of Peter’s role Christ used the word “love” as “Agape” – that word is a characteristic of a marital covenant love of the two becoming one flesh. Yet, Peter continued to insist that he was not worthy of this type of authority when Peter answered choosing a “Felio” or friendship and brotherly type of love – a love that does not lead to one flesh. Finally, Christ asked Peter whether he would rather keep the authority, not by joining together to become one flesh as a visible Groom, but just as a Church member or a bride to the invisible Groom Christ. In the third question Christ asked using a brotherly love Felio, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” (John 21: 17). Christ is saying to Peter, let your will be done in defining our relationship.
Christ granting Peter's will helped Peter to recall the first time he met Christ. At that time, Peter saw and knew that no fish would be caught today after trying all night; Peter didn’t wish to throw the net again, but he submitted to the authority of Christ, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” (Luke 5: 5). Peter must have recalled that although he is doing it because of his humbleness, all along he has been rejecting the new role Christ bestrewed on him: “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5: 8); “Never shall You wash my feet!” (John 13: 8);“Woman, I do not know Him.” (Luke 22: 57); “Man, I am not!” (Luke 22: 58); “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” (Luke 22: 60); and he answered that he loved Christ with a brotherly love. However, when Christ answered Peter with the expression of Felio brotherly love, Peter realized that refusing the incredible role of becoming a visible Groom in the persona Christi on earth is not humbleness, but sinning and following his own will instead of the will of Christ. When Peter humbled himself and realized his sins before him, it helped him to accept and surrender to the will of God, thus “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time.” (John 21: 17). Christ is a fisher of men; likewise, Peter was a fisherman who was commissioned by Christ to become a fisher of Men. Finally Peter surrendered totally to the will of Christ and accepted the role of mirroring Christ as the visible groom for us collectively as the one Church and one bride of Christ.
When non-Catholics reject the authority of Peter as the visible groom and Vicar of Christ they deny submitting to the will of Christ just because it may appear arrogant, as it appeared to Peter over several incidences. The Bride of Christ cannot be limited to the Christians who lived at the time of Christ, but rather must include Christians in every generation. Therefore, the authority of Peter as a visible groom must be successive so that for every time there must be a visible groom and Vicar of Christ which is traceable in the Roman Catholic Popes to Peter.
Finally, Peter answered Christ that this key of authority is the ultimate marital love where its vital characteristic is, “and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2: 24). Thus, Peter tried several times to reject the key of authority by refusing to follow Him when they met, refusing the feet washing, denying Christ three times, and answering that this is a mere brotherly love rather than a covenant love.
Paul is an iconic symbol who spiritually represented John the Baptizer. Paul grew up in Israel, but went to Syria to receive the mission to prepare the way for the life with Christ from where John the Baptist had his head cut off. Likewise, Paul must pass it on from where John would have his head cut off. Christ met John first when John was in the darkness of the Womb. Likewise, Jesus first met Paul walking in the darkness of the world. Paul’s misinterpretation of Sacred Scripture was physically illustrated when Paul was blinded. John the Baptist’s journey in the darkness of the womb after he met Christ resembles Paul's journey in darkness on the straight street in Damascus in an attempt to eventually see the light.
Jesus later met John the Baptist at the Jordan river over Baptism. Likewise, Paul met Peter in Jerusalem over circumcision which was ruled by Peter to be null and was replaced by Baptism. That is why Christians do not need to circumcise their male children in imitation of Christ, but to baptize their children. And just as there could be only one circumcision, there is only one Baptism.
John the Baptizer was a Rabbi before Christ baptized Him; likewise, Paul was a Rabbi before being baptized in the Church of Antioch. Just as Christ was circumcised by the Jewish priest, then baptized by John the Baptizer who was a Rabbi, likewise, in ordinary circumstances when it is not a life or death situation, we should seek Baptism from an authorized priest or have our Baptism blessed by a priest if we convert from another faith. Paul explained that just as there is one LORD, one Christ and likewise, one Baptism, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4: 4-5). Indeed, one faith means one Church with members bound in one belief in the same faith which is the Holy Catholic Church, as we will discuss further.
If Peter headed the Antioch Church or the Church of Constantinople as the Orthodox claim, his body would be moved there regardless of the location of his death. Yet, his body is buried in Rome, because the Church understood that Christ intended to establish the new Jerusalem in Rome, and thus buried him and all his successors there.
We have faith then we believe, “But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak.” (1 Corinthians 4: 13). Faith in the design of Christ means faith in the Catholic Church. If someone has faith only in the spiritual Christ and not in the visible living voice of Christ in the Pope and the Sacraments, then that faith is lacking and thus will alter further understanding so that the final understanding would be lacking and further from the full design of Christ no matter how much the Scripture had been studied. The reason is that we are placing faith in the unseen, and thus to believe we must rely on those with strong and full faith before us who speak through their faith passed faithfully and fully to them as stated, “our inner man is being renewed day by day…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (1 Corinthians 4: 16 & 18). Thus, we ought “not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3: 5). We must depend on what the LORD means and depend on His living authorized voice on earth, which is His Holy Catholic Church.
As St. Paul indicated to Bishop Timothy, “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.” and Christ gave us the perfect example. As a child He spent three days, “in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions...He continued in subjection to them...And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2: 46 & 51-52). Thereafter, we grow and nourish in the one Catholic Faith and work constantly on growing our faith daily to grow in “wisdom and stature.” Then, we can contribute to the knowledge of the living body of the Church as the Saints, Popes, and Church teachers have done.
Contributing to our faith can never mean to start a new denomination if we do not get our way within the Church because that testifies to our distorted faith and dependence on our own pride. Creating another denomination would mean that we misunderstood the salvation Design of Christ to be and remain One with and in and through the one Body. The reason for my assertion is that the depth of faith lifts us to become extra sensitive to the living Christ visibly and invisibly and to His Mind, Heart, and Desires. Otherwise, it is lack of faith and relying more on our own understanding to not recognize the Pope as the living voice of Christ on earth, the Eucharist as the Body and Blood soul and Divinity of Christ, the Holy Mass as the Mystery of the Birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ at the Altar and the Holy Catholic Church as the mystical Body of Christ. When we depend on our own understanding, even if we go back in time to Christ’s time, we certainly would miss recognizing Christ in all His forms.
The following reflection of Scripture I find difficult to understand deeply if I depend only on own understanding outside the Holy Catholic Church. However, when I am fed by the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church and the Holy Spirit who unites in Her and the baptized, I find it enriches my understanding of Sacred Scripture to a much deeper and fuller Truth. Paul represents the iconic symbol and spirit of John the Baptist. Both Paul and John the Baptist are priests, and both died by decapitation. Both prepared the road of the kingdom; one prepared the road for the King and another prepared the road for the kingdom. Both had zeal and made huge headlines among the people. Christ met John in the womb first when he was unable to see but John leaped with joy. Christ met Paul and blinded him but Paul leaped in exclamation. Both remained in isolation for prayers and fasting as purification to prepare the way – one in the desert and another in Damascus. John finished by death in Damascus while Paul took over the light in Damascus and finished where the new kingdom began.
Peter is the living voice of Christ, crucified in the new city of the established Church Kingdom of Christ in Rome for it is the Roman Catholic Church. Acts 23 states that Christ also sent Paul to Rome and both Paul and Peter finished there and likewise the final verses of the Book of Acts finished in Rome. The New Testament follows the book of Acts with the letter to the Romans as the beginning of the established new Creation Covenant of One Holy Family Roman Church and supreme authority over all Churches.
When Adam and Eve sinned, apparently the LORD forgave them by offering a sacrifice for them as noted in his use of animal skin to make their garments, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3: 21). The anger of the LORD appears calmer now as indicated after the sacrifice offering by Noah after the Flood, “The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man.” Genesis 8: 21). However, in Genesis 3, the sacrificial offering is not stated but an animal skin implies it. I find that the lack of explanation of the sacrifice of the LORD on behalf of Adam suggests a spiritual invisible sacrifice of the promised Son of God. This sacrifice is different than all the old testament sacrifices in that it is the first and is touched by the LORD, and thus it must be holier than any other animal sacrifice.
Furthermore, this sacrifice that is invisible points to the invisible spiritual element that reaches the LORD and makes it acceptable. Therefore, physical sacrificial offering, especially when embodied within the sacrifice of the heart of the givers, is essential to be offered continuously to the LORD of the universe alone. In the New Covenant the sacrificial offering of the visible Bread and Wine reflects that Christ is truly present in the physical Bread and Wine; yet He is unseen, just as the offer to Adam noted the skin but not the actual sacrifice. The point that the LORD held the visible skin in His sacred hands indicates that the Bread and Wine sacrifice is a Holy Sacrifice. Thus they are the consecrated true Body and Blood of the LORD, although the LORD is physically invisible to most onlookers. The Altar of the Old had a curtain so that the people could not see the LORD behind it just as the LORD is invisible in the consecrated Bread and Wine. On the Cross, the LORD had the visible form of Christ with visible torn skin; yet His true identity as GOD is shielded from most onlookers. The Veronica veil depicts the true presence of the LORD not only spiritually, but with His human form depicted in the printed physical Face. Since Christ took a physical form, thus the consecrated Bread and Wine cannot be only a spiritual representation of Christ, but must be Christ in total – both physically and spiritually.
Note that the holiest hands of the LORD made garments from the holy sacrifice that the LORD offered in order to cover Adam’s and Eve’s sexual organs. Therefore, the message is unmistakable that sexual organs must be used only in holiness and marriage is not a contract but a sacrificial holy Covenant as covered by the Holy LORD of the universe. Therefore, when Christ fulfilled the law, we must strive for holiness much more than the people did before Christ, especially because the holy Sacraments invite Christ to lift us. Therefore, although all the Sacraments use visible physical matters, Christ in His totality, both Human and Divine, is shielded from view in each Sacrament and each one makes Him available to us for our benefit.
We ought to be taught the spiritual union of symbols and icons so we can understand and act accordingly. We must understand that the properly baptized is not an iconic symbol of mere humans, but the iconic symbol of the Temple of God, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).