Wednesday, 29th June 2016,
Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, Apostles
Acts 12:1-11;
Ps 33:2-9;
2Tim 4:6-8, 17-18;
Mt 16:13-19
OUR DAILY SUFFERINGS HELP US TO GROW IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!
Sts. Peter and Paul are also considered as the two principal pillars of the Catholic Church founded by Christ. Both died as martyrs for the faith in Rome, both proved their love for and loyalty to Christ their Lord and Master by laying down their lives. St Peter was chosen by Christ as the head of the college of Apostles and then to be his first Vicar on earth. Christ gave him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and charged with the role of the Shepherd of his flock. St Paul was chosen by Christ himself on the road to Damascus to be the Apostle of the Gentiles. If the Church founded by Christ is what it is today, it is so because it has the kind of faith and mission that is represented by Saints Peter and Paul. It is true that today we venerate Peter and Paul as great saints in the Church. But what was their life before?
Look at Peter’s life. He was a fisherman. Peter was not a man of deep faith. In today’s gospel we see, Jesus asks his disciples what opinion people had of him. Then he questions his disciples: who do you say that I am? Peter, on behalf of everyone answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Just after this episode Jesus tells his disciples about his impending suffering, death and resurrection. What is Peter’s reaction to this? “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you”. Jesus rebukes him saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” This was the depth of Peter’s faith. It was wavering. In the episode of Jesus walking on the water Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if it’s you tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus asks him to come walking. Just after walking a little he starts sinking and cries to the Lord. Then Jesus tells him, “You man of little faith, why did you doubt?” After the Resurrection of Jesus this same Peter was a different person altogether. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he went on proclaiming the good news. His faith had become strong. We also see how the Lord was with him during all the difficult times. In today’s first reading we see the angel of the Lord rescues Peter from the prison.
What was St Paul before his encounter with the Lord? He was a devout and pious Jew. He had taken a pledge to destroy all the believers, to slaughter everyone who belonged to the ‘Way’. To accomplish his mission he was on the way to Damascus. And there on the way he encounters the Lord. This encounter with Jesus makes Paul a new person. The man who wanted to kill all the believers himself becomes a believer. He becomes such a strong believer in Christ that he even had the courage to say, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). The Lord was also with Paul during all his tribulations. In today’s second reading he testifies to it. So all the sufferings these both saints underwent, all the tribulations they endured did not take them away from their Lord, instead they grew in their relationship with their master. Above all their faith in the Son of God also became strong. So taking the examples of these saints let us also grow in our relationship with Jesus, the Son of God.
Prayer: Father, we rejoice in the call to belong to the Church, to believe in the Gospel, and to be united with the successors of Your Apostles. Increase our fidelity to the Gospel. Amen.