The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-01-09
THE PURPOSES OF
PETERS PRIVACY



clearly conveyed Boo the words spoken
Co him personally lMatt XVI. 1919.
job MI. 15-lO. Again, Of we r.ghuy
conclude from the words addressed to
the apostles collectively promisiug
them the divine assistance To- the cone
summation of the world, that they
were To- continue I'm their successors. We
must likewise conclude from the same
words that Peter, as their head is to
continue I'm his successors to the end
of time, since Christ addressed His
words TO Peter as well as to the other
apostles. and addressed him as the
head of His entire flock just as He
addressed the apostles as the preachers
of His gospel and the rulers of His
Church. The primary is therefore to-
continue forever, because il is am es-
sential portion of the Church's consu-
tuition, which is to endure to the con-
summation of the world.
Besides, Christ established the pri-
macy to give the Church a more per-
feet unity. This end, however, did not
cease to exist with the apostles; it con-
tinued after their death For fl is al
ways true that the guidance of the
Church by one individual insures adj
vantages which would not exist if the
supreme power were divided among
many; that Christ the once visible, now
invisible, head, is better represented
by one than by several, that the
Church under one head corresponds
best to the idea presented of it in Holy
Scripture. The primacy must, there
fore. continue if the intention Of Christ
in regard to His Church should be re-
allied.
The special mission which Christ as
signed to Peter also proves the per-
petuity of his primacy. For although
the primacy was conferred on him to
distinguish him above the other apos-
ties as he had distinguished himself by
his faith, the object of this supreme
power, as we see from the words Of
Christ, was to give the Church stabil-
ity against adverse powers, to open
heaven to the faithful by the power Of
the keys, and to secure a suitable guild
ance for the flock of Christ. But after
the death of st. Peter the Church was
just as much as before in need of
strength against the repeated and ev-
Embarrassing onslaughts of its enemies;
as long as man lives here below he
shall need the heaven by treasures
which are accessible only through the
power of the keys; as long as the flock
of Christ exists it needs a visible shep-
herd to feed it. The supreme power
given to Peter is, therefore, to continue,
since the special end for which it has
been instituted will last forever.
Here we may again point to the
Synagogue as the type Of the Church.
One high-priest was always at its head,
as at its foundation one had been in
vested with that supreme office. In
like manner there must be one primate
at the head of the Church. since at the
foundation of the Church Peter was in
vested with this supreme dignity.
That st. Peter was, according to the
intention of Christ, to have successors
in the prmacy is clearly shown from
the fathers of the Church who recog-
nize in the Pope the successor of St
Peter, as well as from the councils
which declare that the Roman Pontift
is the successor of st. Peter, the prince
of the apostles. Thus aftirms plainly
the Vatican council that st. Peted has
perpetual successors in the office of SUI
preme pastor over the universal
Church.