Theological Foundations new file

122 Theological Foundations Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16, 19). The Lord Jesus showed great wisdomwhen He made the sinner who had denied Him the head of the Church, the leader of Christian multitudes and His vicar on earth. He did not choose the innocent John or the right- eous James to hold this office. He needed a shepherd who would be able to forgive the stray sheep and graciously receive them back into Christ’s fold when they show compunction, because he had fallen himself and had experienced how easy it is for man to fall, and he knows that a desire to do good can grow in man’s heart once he has risen from his fall. From Peter’s example, we can learn to feel compassion rather than anger for sinners. For it is a principle of Divine Providence to put even righteous superiors, who strive for perfection, through trials and tribulations, to allow them to fall, so that, after they have come to their senses, they can support others and hasten to help those who are unaware of evil. Sometimes sins become a salutary medicine for the soul. The telling example of St. Peter, of his fall and subsequent rise from sin, prompts Father Stanislaus to express a conviction that it may be more beneficial for many Christians that they should not be completely free from temptations, but that they should experience them more often; that they should even fall sometimes, so that they would not feel too safe and become proud. 23 Father Papczynski’s concern for Christ’s sheepfold, which is expressed in his prayer for the Church and its shepherds, is, therefore, quite understandable. It can be seen clearly in his order given to the superiors of Marian houses that fervent prayers for the Roman Catholic Church be offered to God in each of these houses. 24 The Marians are to remember the Church constantly in their prayers, and through their pious exercises they are not only to support their own congregation but also provide spiritual assistance for the Holy Catholic Church. At the same time, Father Stanislaus emphasized the priority of the common recitation of the Canonical Hours (which are a public prayer of the Church) over the private recitation of this prayer. 25