HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (Year C)

Jun 29, 2025

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First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-10)

In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. It was the feast of Unleavened Bread. He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, "Get up quickly." The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals." He did so. Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me."

So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They emerged and made heir way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9)

(R) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear Him.

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R)

Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol His name. I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R)

Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress He saved him. (R)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed the man who takes refuge in Him. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (4:6-8, 17-18)

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for His appearance.

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be competed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew (16:13-19)

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Even though these two great saints of the early church died on different days, in different years and in different ways why do we celebrate their feast together? Some people jokingly would say that because while on Earth they could not get along with each other, God joined them together in heaven. Yes, it is true that these two individuals were very different from each other in every way except in their love for our Lord Jesus Christ and in their commitment and dedication to the mission entrusted to them. Let us take a look at the personalities of both Peter and Paul so we can learn from them.

Peter was a poor fisherman from Galilee. He was called Simon until Jesus gave him the name Cephas, which means "rock", because he was to become the foundation upon which Jesus Christ would build his church. He was introduced to the Lord Jesus by his brother Andrew. When Jesus called Peter to follow him, he did so gladly. He was the first to recognize and boldly proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. By publicly and unequivocally declaring Jesus to be both Christ and the Son of God, Peter made a complete, personal and strong confession of faith in Jesus. But then he stumbled and fell along the way. Take for instance, when he started to walk on the water towards Jesus at the Sea of Galilee. He lost faith, was frightened and began to sink. He cried out to the Lord to save him whereupon Jesus chided him as one having little faith. And then there are also other moments during the final hours of Jesus' life on Earth when Peter openly failed him. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. When Jesus got to Peter, he shied away from Jesus' offer to wash his feet. But then when Jesus reminded him that in refusing such a service, he rejected his own salvation, Peter then pleaded with Jesus to not only just wash his feet but his head, hands and body as well, to make sure he was in full union with Christ on Earth and eventually in heaven. Later at the Last Supper, Peter pledged his never ending love and devotion to Jesus, only to deny him three times after his arrest.

Yet despite his human weaknesses, Peter was chosen to oversee the church. The Acts of the Apostles (15:7-9) illustrates Peter's role as head of the Church after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. Peter reminded the apostles what Jesus had commissioned them to do as leaders and that is "to tend his flock" and "spread the good news to all nations." Peter after spreading the gospel throughout Judea, Samaria and elsewhere, spent his last years in Rome, leading the Church through persecution. Eventually he was arrested and put to death by the Roman Emperor Nero in the year 64 AD. It is believed that he was crucified upside-down. He is buried on Vatican hill, and Saint Peter's Basilica is built above his tomb.

Paul was just the opposite of Peter in many ways. He was born in Tarsus, modern-day Turkey just a few years after Jesus. Unlike the twelve apostles there is no record of Paul having ever met Jesus before the latter's crucifixion and death. He wrote a total of 14 letters to seven different churches and three of his friends who are included in the New Testament. From his letters we learn much about his life and the faith of the early Christians. Before receiving the name Paul, he was Saul, a Pharisee from a wealthy Jewish family. He obviously received a fine education and could communicate in three languages Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. He loved his Jewish faith and traditions so much that he knew by heart the Jewish scriptures. He mentions them in his letter to the Galatians (1:14), "I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers".

It was apparently this religious zeal that led the young man to persecute Christians. Scripture records that Saul was present at the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith. After Stephen's death, he went about destroying the early church; he entered house after house, dragging out men and women, whom he handed over for imprisonment, Acts (8:3). However, unknown to him God was preparing this young man for His mission on Earth. Dramatically one day Paul converted to Christianity. The conversion took place as he was traveling on the road to Damascus to persecute the Christians. He was suddenly surrounded by a great light from heaven. He was blinded and fell off his horse. He then heard a voice calling him by name, "Saul" and asking him why he was persecuting Him. He asked who the voice was. The voice said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Saul continued to Damascus, where he was baptized and his sight was restored. He took the name Paul and began to preach the faith he once tried to destroy. However, his conversion brought him not laurels and fame but innumerous hardships. Writing to the Corinthians he says that "five times he received forty lashes at the hands of the Jews, three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he was shipwrecked, journeyed in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fasting, through cold and exposure", 2 Cor (11:24-27). Finally, after years of preaching in Asia Minor, Paul was imprisoned and taken to Rome, where he was put to death by the same Roman Emperor, Nero, who took Saint Peter's life three years before Paul's martyrdom. Paul was beheaded with a sword in the year 67 AD. He is buried in Rome in the Basilica of Saint Paul.

Both the Apostles suffered misunderstanding and rejection from their own people. Some argue that these two Saints Peter and Paul were at odds with each other and did not get along. They had some strong differences of opinion as to how to go about preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can see in the writings of the Apostle Paul how strongly he disagreed with the Apostle Peter on some occasions. Saint Paul says, "When Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to blame", Gal (2:11). Peter was also rebuked by Paul when he started treating Jewish Christians better than the Gentile Christians. Speaking about Paul, Saint Peter writes that Paul says a great many things that are difficult to understand.

Friends, what is the message for us?

The characters of these two great men show that they were only very human. They were not perfect. They had their individual struggles with their own humanity, inadequacies, limitations and weaknesses. And yet they were determined to spread the faith. What makes them great witnesses of faith is that they did not give up the struggle when they realized their imperfections and encountered hardships. They were willing to make any amount of sacrifices for their love for Jesus and his teaching. It is a reminder for us that the essence of Christianity is loyalty to Christ and fidelity in carrying out his teachings even in the face of difficulty and hardships. In other words, Christian faith requires us to commit ourselves to the person of Jesus and his teaching, and not to anyone else or anything - not to the Pope, any priest or any church. Therefore we can be part of the church, the body of Christ despite differences of opinion on many matters of faith, interpretation of scriptures and the life styles of others in the church. We do not have to leave the Church or stay away from the Church or abandon our faith in Jesus because of these differences.
These two saints and many other people have literally shed blood for their faith. In many parts of the world even today Christians are persecuted and killed for their belief in Jesus. Many people experience more trials than others for the sake of their faith. Most of us have to endure only a few inconveniences, discomforts and small sacrifices for our faith. Whatever the suffering, let us suffer in calmness, peace and serenity for the love of God.
Everyday let us thank the Lord for the gift of life and the gift of faith.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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