Protestants & “orthodox” are WRONG
Primacy of Peter & Papacy
By Fr. Paul Kaiparambadan
Excerpt from the magazine KNOW THE TRUTH
The Primacy of Peter is an important teaching in the Bible. Non-Catholics have to disobey the Pope's authority just to create their illegal, fake churches & to defend their false dogmas. It is so interesting to know how they misinterpret those Biblical parts to escape from the obedience to the Pope.
Peter is 'the Rock'
Jesus was able to see the anarchy & divisions that Satan can create in the only one Church He instituted. It was the great desire of Jesus that His followers must be united together. (Jn 17:11) "Holy Father, watch over them… that they may be one just as we are." He decided to make Peter the leader, so that all shall be united under Him.
Mt. 16:18-19 - "And I tell you, you are Peter & upon this rock, I will build my church & the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven & whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven & whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus spoke in Aramaic & nicknamed Simon "Kepha" (Cephas) which means ‘the Rock.’ Anti-Catholics try in vain to misinterpret it as the 'Rock' here is Jesus, not Peter. Jesus was not speaking to himself but to Simon, 'you are Peter' (the Rock) & upon you 'this rock' I will build my church. Here, 'this rock' is Peter, not Jesus. The next sentence clarifies it. I will give 'you' the keys & what 'you bind' on earth, will be bound in heaven. This word of the Lord supports beyond doubt that Peter is 'the rock' upon which Jesus built His Church. To confuse people & to escape from the authority of Peter, anti-Catholic ministers quote all the Bible passages where the word 'rock' comes. Usually, they use 1 Cor 10:3-5 where the phrase “they drank of that Spiritual Rock...& that Rock was Christ." This has nothing to do with the institution of the Church. They simply misuse this out of context just to support their lie.
More than that, assuming that we accept their claim, it will never contradict the position of Peter. Catholics have always believed Jesus is the invisible head or the spiritual rock of the Church because the Church is His body. But we consider the Pope as its visible head. When God the Father made a covenant with Abraham, He made Abraham the Father of all nations. But it didn't take away the Fatherhood of God (Is 51:1). He remained the Spiritual Father forever.
Anti-Catholics may play other funny verbal gymnastics. When Jesus said 'Rock, he used the Aramaic word "Kepha" which means only 'rock.’ But when it is translated into Greek, it may get a gender change: 'Pebble' or 'chip of rock.’ They may try on this word to show that Peter is only a pebble. But the next sentence will correct them "I will give you (not me) the keys of the kingdom of heaven & whatever 'you' (not 'me' Jesus, but Peter) bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
Peter is the Shepherd
In St John 21:15-19, we find clear scriptural evidence that Peter was commissioned by Jesus to care for His flock. “Simon, son of John... shepherd my sheep! Simon, son of John… feed my Sheep." We know Jesus is the good shepherd (Jn 10:11) but here, He gives authority of the shepherd to Peter. So we call Peter & his successors, the Pope - Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church.
"Pope" means father. It is an affectionate
title that the apostles used to express their responsibility to the faithful. St. Paul calls himself as 'father' (1 Cor 4:14-16) "You are my beloved children ....For I became your father in Christ."
Can We Call A Priest 'Father'?
Mt.23:8-10 "As for you do not be called 'teacher.' You have but one teacher & you all are brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master," you have but one master, the Messiah."
Primacy of Peter & Papacy
By Fr. Paul Kaiparambadan
Excerpt from the magazine KNOW THE TRUTH
The Primacy of Peter is an important teaching in the Bible. Non-Catholics have to disobey the Pope's authority just to create their illegal, fake churches & to defend their false dogmas. It is so interesting to know how they misinterpret those Biblical parts to escape from the obedience to the Pope.
Peter is 'the Rock'
Jesus was able to see the anarchy & divisions that Satan can create in the only one Church He instituted. It was the great desire of Jesus that His followers must be united together. (Jn 17:11) "Holy Father, watch over them… that they may be one just as we are." He decided to make Peter the leader, so that all shall be united under Him.
Mt. 16:18-19 - "And I tell you, you are Peter & upon this rock, I will build my church & the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven & whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven & whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus spoke in Aramaic & nicknamed Simon "Kepha" (Cephas) which means ‘the Rock.’ Anti-Catholics try in vain to misinterpret it as the 'Rock' here is Jesus, not Peter. Jesus was not speaking to himself but to Simon, 'you are Peter' (the Rock) & upon you 'this rock' I will build my church. Here, 'this rock' is Peter, not Jesus. The next sentence clarifies it. I will give 'you' the keys & what 'you bind' on earth, will be bound in heaven. This word of the Lord supports beyond doubt that Peter is 'the rock' upon which Jesus built His Church. To confuse people & to escape from the authority of Peter, anti-Catholic ministers quote all the Bible passages where the word 'rock' comes. Usually, they use 1 Cor 10:3-5 where the phrase “they drank of that Spiritual Rock...& that Rock was Christ." This has nothing to do with the institution of the Church. They simply misuse this out of context just to support their lie.
More than that, assuming that we accept their claim, it will never contradict the position of Peter. Catholics have always believed Jesus is the invisible head or the spiritual rock of the Church because the Church is His body. But we consider the Pope as its visible head. When God the Father made a covenant with Abraham, He made Abraham the Father of all nations. But it didn't take away the Fatherhood of God (Is 51:1). He remained the Spiritual Father forever.
Anti-Catholics may play other funny verbal gymnastics. When Jesus said 'Rock, he used the Aramaic word "Kepha" which means only 'rock.’ But when it is translated into Greek, it may get a gender change: 'Pebble' or 'chip of rock.’ They may try on this word to show that Peter is only a pebble. But the next sentence will correct them "I will give you (not me) the keys of the kingdom of heaven & whatever 'you' (not 'me' Jesus, but Peter) bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
Peter is the Shepherd
In St John 21:15-19, we find clear scriptural evidence that Peter was commissioned by Jesus to care for His flock. “Simon, son of John... shepherd my sheep! Simon, son of John… feed my Sheep." We know Jesus is the good shepherd (Jn 10:11) but here, He gives authority of the shepherd to Peter. So we call Peter & his successors, the Pope - Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church.
"Pope" means father. It is an affectionate
title that the apostles used to express their responsibility to the faithful. St. Paul calls himself as 'father' (1 Cor 4:14-16) "You are my beloved children ....For I became your father in Christ."
Can We Call A Priest 'Father'?
Mt.23:8-10 "As for you do not be called 'teacher.' You have but one teacher & you all are brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master," you have but one master, the Messiah."
Taking these words in literal point of view, the 'sects' always accuse the Old Catholic tradition of calling their priests 'Father.’ The way they interpret this part of the gospel, the pupil can never call his instructor in school teacher, and a child can never call his birth father 'Dad' or 'Tatay.’ It also prohibits universities from issuing a 'Master of Arts' or Master's degree. Surely, Jesus did not intend this funny meaning when he said it. He was instructing his disciples that nobody should be considered In this earth greater than God.
If that was observed literally among the disciples, why did Paul call himself 'father?'
1Cor4: 14-16 - "I am writing this not to shame you, but to instruct you as my beloved children. Even if you have countless guides to Christ, you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
It is in the same meaning that the Catholics call their priests 'Father,’ and the successor of Peter, 'Pope' (pope means father') to express their respect and obedience. St. Paul makes it very clear in 1Tess.2: 11-12 - "As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory."
St. Paul calls Timothy 'my son' (Tim.1:2). Was he violating a command of Jesus by considering himself as the father of Timothy? He calls Titus a genuine child. Paul addressed himself "father of Philemon." (Philemon 1:10) They were not the children of Paul. But he became their spiritual father in Christ.
But nobody can prove from any source that early Christians called the apostles 'Brother Paul' or 'Minister Peter' or 'pastor John' as anti-Catholics always do.
If that was observed literally among the disciples, why did Paul call himself 'father?'
1Cor4: 14-16 - "I am writing this not to shame you, but to instruct you as my beloved children. Even if you have countless guides to Christ, you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
It is in the same meaning that the Catholics call their priests 'Father,’ and the successor of Peter, 'Pope' (pope means father') to express their respect and obedience. St. Paul makes it very clear in 1Tess.2: 11-12 - "As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory."
St. Paul calls Timothy 'my son' (Tim.1:2). Was he violating a command of Jesus by considering himself as the father of Timothy? He calls Titus a genuine child. Paul addressed himself "father of Philemon." (Philemon 1:10) They were not the children of Paul. But he became their spiritual father in Christ.
But nobody can prove from any source that early Christians called the apostles 'Brother Paul' or 'Minister Peter' or 'pastor John' as anti-Catholics always do.
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