Pope Francis: Allow ourselves to encounter the Lord

教宗方濟各週五在彌撒講道中，談及伯多祿和耶穌的關係。他說問題不在於我們是罪人，問題是我們跟耶穌在愛中相遇後，卻不願意被祂改造。

教宗形容今天福音中耶穌三次問伯多祿是否愛祂，是「天主和祂的門徒一個愛的對話」，這對話追溯至耶穌最初邀請和召叫他，到他被稱為磐石，祂給他那特別的任務，「甚至伯多祿當時完全不明白」。之後，伯多祿認清耶穌是主，但拒絕十字架的道路。耶穌跟他說：「撒殫，退到我後面去！」而伯多祿接受了這個羞辱。伯多祿「一直相信他是一個好人」，在革責瑪尼莊園時表現激烈，更拔劍保衛耶穌。但他之後卻三次不認耶穌，而當耶穌望著他，伯多祿哭了。「耶穌透過這些相遇令伯多祿的靈魂、心靈成熟」，幫助他在愛中成長。當伯多祿聽到耶穌三次問他：「若望的兒子西滿，你比他愛我嗎？」，他感到羞愧，因為他記起他曾三次說不認識耶穌。

「伯多祿的痛楚、羞愧，伯多祿這個重要的人，也是罪人。耶穌令他覺得他是一個罪人，也令我們所有人覺得是罪人。我們是罪人不是問題，問題是不懺悔，不為我們所做的感羞愧。這才是問題。伯多祿有這份羞愧，這份謙卑。伯多祿的罪過，和他那顆心，令他和耶穌重新相遇：到達寬恕的喜樂。」

耶穌沒有背棄祂的承諾，「當耶穌說『餵養我的羊群』，祂把信眾交給他。」

教宗強調伯多祿是偉大，但不是因為他好，而是因為他那顆心，令他流淚，令他感到痛楚、羞愧，更負起帶領信眾的責任。

教宗這樣總結：「讓我們求天主，伯多祿不斷與天主相遇，耶穌不斷淨化他，令他愈來愈成熟，希望他的例子幫助我們更加尋求天主，和祂相遇。更重要的是我們要容許自己跟天主相遇：祂一直尋找我們，祂一直在我們身邊。但很多次，我們擦身而過，因為我們不想跟祂談話。遇見主很重要，但更重要的是容許我們跟主相遇：這是恩寵。這是伯多祿教我們的。讓我們祈求得到這恩寵。」

Pope Francis talked about the relationship between Peter and Jesus on Friday morning mass. He said that the problem is not that we are sinners, but that we do not allow ourselves to be transformed by the encounter with Christ in love.

At the center of the homily was the day's Gospel reading, in which the Risen Jesus thrice asks Peter if Peter loves Him. “It is,” said Pope Francis, “a dialogue of love between the Lord and his disciple,” one that retraces the whole history of Peter's meetings with Jesus, from Peter's first calling and invitation to follow the Lord, to his receiving the name of Cephas – the Rock – and with the name, his peculiar mission, “which,” said Pope Francis, “was there, even if Peter understood nothing of it [at the time].” Then, when Peter recognized Jesus as the Christ and went on to reject the way of the Cross, and Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan!” and “Peter accepted this humiliation.” Peter often “believed himself to be a good fellow,” was “fiery” in the Garden of Gethsemane, and “took the sword” to defend Jesus, but then denied him three times – and when Jesus looked on him with that look, “so beautiful [it was],” said the Pope, that Peter weeps. “Jesus in these meetings is maturing Peter's soul, Peter's heart,” helping Peter to grow in love. So Peter, when he heard Jesus three times ask him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” was ashamed, because he remembered the time when, three times, he said he did not know the Lord:

“Peter was saddened that, for a third time, Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?” This pain, this shame – a great man, this Peter – [and] a sinner, a sinner. The Lord makes him feel that he is a sinner – makes us all feel that we are sinners. The problem is not that we are sinners: the problem is not repenting of sin, not being ashamed of what we have done. That's the problem. And Peter has this shame, this humility, no? The sin, the sin of Peter, is a fact that, with a heart as great as the heart Peter had, brings him to a new encounter with Jesus: to the joy of forgiveness.”

The Lord did not abandon his promise, when said, “You are rock.” In the episode recounted in Friday's Gospel, we saw Jesus saying, “Feed my sheep,” and the Lord “[gave] over His flock to a sinner.”:

The Holy Father stressed that Peter is great, not because he is good, but because he has a nobility of heart, which brings him to tears, leads him to this pain, this shame - and also to take up his work of shepherding the flock”:

“Let us ask the Lord, today, that this example of the life of a man who continually meets with the Lord, and whom the Lord purifies, makes more mature through these meetings, might help us to us to move forward, seeking the Lord and meeting Him, allowing us [really] to encounter Him. More than this, it is important that we let ourselves encounter the Lord: He always seeks us, He is always near us. Many times, though, we look the other way because we do not want to talk with the Lord or allow ourselves to encounter the Lord. Meeting the Lord [is important], but more importantly, let us be met by the Lord: this is a grace. This is the grace that Peter teaches us. We ask this grace today. So be it.”

資料來源 Source:
Pope Francis celebrates Friday morning Mass