Shortly before we were ordained, then auxiliary Bishop Richard Pates gave each member of our class a framed quotation from Saint John Henry Newman. It’s his response to someone, and it can be summed up simply as “trust the Church.”

 Newman himself came to see this gradually throughout his life. The son of a well-off family in London, he was quite bright in academics studying great writers and philosophers. He got serious about his Christian faith as a teenager and eventually became an Anglican priest.

 A visit to Rome was his first exposure to the Catholic Church, and he found the city beautiful but felt the Catholic Church had lost her way – even calling Her “polytheistic, degrading and idolatrous.” But those views began to change.

Back at Oxford where he taught, he felt the Anglican church was becoming too “Protestant” and he wanted a “middle road” between Catholicism and Protestantism; but he soon found Catholicism was the right road when he began arguing for things like the Real Presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and saw the Catholic teaching in Anglicanism (after all it essentially emerges from Henry VIII wanting a Catholic Church without the authority of a pope!).

 As you might imagine, this ruffled feathers; and more so when he eventually embraced the Catholic faith and was received into it, eventually one day becoming a cardinal.

 He is quite a saint, and his story shows us how the faith is a matter of the head and heart, and the Church helps us along the way.

 In this week’s Gospel, Jesus asks Peter a question – “who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Peter says, “you are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Jesus then says to Peter upon this rock He will build His Church and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it, and that Peter will be given the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever he looses on earth will be loosed in heaven. We’ve always understood this as a sign of the papacy given to Peter, and the foreshadowing of the Church which will be born on Pentecost.

 It’s a great Gospel for us to think about our faith journey.

For one, who do we say Jesus is? How do we come to know God? Through prayer, through the Scriptures, yes, but also through the Church. The Church celebrates with us the sacraments that bring us closer to God and helps us to know His mercy. The Church is also here to teach us in faith and morals which she has done through the centuries. The Church is also there to do social action in the world and to evangelize.

 As such, my hope is that we never forget what a beautiful gift the Church is to us. This is not to say we do not do things with other Christians, or that there is not beauty in other churches, but Jesus created one Church, not many. On our part, while at times we may struggle with a Church teaching, or even be angered when we see how some people in the Church have acted, may we never forget Jesus knew what He was doing, and here we are, over 2000 years after that Gospel, and the gates of the netherworld have not prevailed despite the persecutions, the scandals at times, the schisms – the Church is still strong.

How we engage and work with God and His Church is a matter of prayer and reflection. Wrestle with things that challenge you and read what the Church teaches. Make use of online materials such as “Formed” or “Word on Fire” or phone apps like “Hallow.” Look for ways to grow in your faith by being involved in the parish or faith formation events, which we’ll be having more of this year. And remember faith is a matter of the head and heart.

What a gift we have in our Church – so may we treasure her and openly speak about our faith to others from family to friends and neighbors, remembering that through Her, we are brought closer to Jesus and with Her help, we can become saints.

Have a blessed week!

Fr. Paul

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August 23, 2026