The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

""152 THE FAITH O7 OUR FATHERSonly for Peter. And why for Peter in particular?Because on his shoulders was to rest the burden ofthe Church. Our Lord prays for two things:1.That the faith of Peter and of his successors mightnot fail ;2. That Peter would confirm his brethrenin the faith, in order,"as St. Leo says, that thestrength given by Christ to Peter should descendon the Apostles."We know that the prayer of Jesus isalwaysheard. Therefore the faith of Peter will alwaysbe firm. He was destined to be the oracle whichall were to consult. Hence we always find himthe prominent figure among the Apostles;the firstto speak ; the first to act on every occasion. Hewas to be the guiding star that was to lead therest of the faithful in the path of truth. He wasto be in the hierarchy of the Church what thesun is in the planetary system the centre aroundwhich all would revolve. And is it not a beautifulspectacle, in harmony with our ideas of God sprovidence, to behold in His Church a counterpart of thestarry system above us ? There, every planet movesin obedience to a uniform law, all of them regulatedby one great luminary. So, in the spiritual order,we see every member of the Church governed byone law, controlled by one voice, and that voice subject to God.1Peter is"FeedMy lambs; feed My sheep."appointed by our Lord the universal shepherd of1John xii. 16, 17.