- David Martin | The Daily Knight
The One True Church Under Peter
David Martin | The Daily Knight
While tradition has it that St. Luke was a gifted painter, we also see that he created very artistic impressions with the stroke of his pen – impressions that are filled with deep religious and symbolic meaning. The opening of chapter 5 of St. Luke’s Gospel beautifully exemplifies this.
“And it came to pass, that when the multitudes pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he [Jesus] stood by the lake of Genesareth, and saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon's, he desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting he taught the multitudes out of the ship. Now when he had ceased to speak, he said to Simon [Peter]: Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to him: Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing: but at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their net broke.” (Luke 5:1-6)
From this we see that Jesus Christ teaches the world from Peter’s Barque, the Catholic Church, outside of which Christ does not abide. The Barque of Peter is Christ’s footstool from which to instruct humanity on salvation. This instruction is executed through the priests whom Christ calls “fishers of men.” (Mt. 4:19)
Furthermore, Jesus desires that Peter’s boat be set back from the land, that is, the Church must be set apart from the world. As has been taught through the centuries, the Church cannot merge with the world or adopt secular teachings, which is in keeping with Jesus’ words: “My Kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)
We also see that when the ministers of Peter’s Barque take the Master at His word and let down their nets the traditional way, they bring up an enormous draught of fishes, but when they labor all night in the dark employing human methods (as they have since Vatican II), they catch nothing.
Tradition Works
This is a lesson for the clergy to return to Sacred Apostolic Tradition, which among other things would mean a universal return to saying the Mass with the priest facing the altar (ad orientum). For the modern Mass with the priest facing the people with his back to the tabernacle (versus populum) has served to bring about a historic shift of focus where the emphasis is on the community and not on God. The New Mass since Vatican II has helped to drive the Barque shipwreck onto secular coasts, so it is important that Christ again be lifted up in center-view before the Church through the offering of the Traditional Latin Mass so that the people can again be absorbed in Christ and things eternal.
In the meantime, it’s important that the faithful renounce the modernist teachings being dished out by today’s modernist hierarchy, remembering that the bishops and even Pope Francis are capable of error.
Restoration From Within
Even so, our defense of the Faith must be done within the confines of Peter’s Barque. For while we’re obliged to separate ourselves from Francis’ heterodox ideas, we nonetheless must remain in the arena if we want to win the battle. Like the good guys in the movies who battle the pirates on deck who are trying to take over the ship, we too must remain on the Barque and not abandon ship during the crisis, remembering Pope Benedict’s statement of July 15, 2017, when he said that the Barque of Peter is "on the verge of capsizing."
With the crisis ever intensifying, the true Catholics must hold the ailing Barque of Peter afloat until help arrives from Heaven. That day may be coming soon!
