Solemnity of Apostles Sts. Peter and Paul
June 29, 2025 - Acts 12: 1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18; Matthew 16:13-19
We celebrate today the two
formidable pillars of our Christian faith and tradition – Apostles Peter and
Paul – one a rock and the other a foundation! They both together go to prove to
us that being an apostle is no privilege, it is a challenge; living my life as
an apostle is no accomplishment, it is a duty! No wonder why Paul said,
"Woe to me if do not proclaim the Gospel"(1 Cor 9:16) and Peter said,
"we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard"
(Acts 4:20). They knew, realised and were convinced of the obligation that was
involved, not just the honour. At times today looking at the rat race that has unfortunately
snuck even into the Spiritual or Ecclesial circles, we are invited to pray specially
for our Christian leadership, and moreover, reflect on what it really entails!
The
key that Apostle Peter offers lies in his incomparable declaration at the Beautiful
Gate, when he tells that person who was incapable of walking – “I have no
silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, stand up and walk!” (Acts 3: 6)
Let us note here the first matter of fact: he
had neither silver or gold – possession and comfort in so many garbs, be it “for
the sake of the mission,” “for the role to be carried out” and so on, how many
compromises are made and how scandalising are the reports we come across! Aren’t
they clear warnings for us?
The second factor in that statement is the
conviction of Peter, that he had Jesus with him and that he could certainly
give Jesus to the person who asked him. There is no virtue in not possessing things
or wealth, but it serves as a means to possess Christ and how far does our life
of prayer and penance, fill us with Christ – that is a question to ponder.
The
third element to note is the power of the name of Jesus, that Peter understood and
laid claim on! Jesus, the name above all names, is given to us to be invoked in
every situation where there is someone in need, someone suffering, someone with
the essentials at stake! When we do things for others, when we offer our
service in ministry – whose name do we invoke? Whose name do we underscore and
publish – that is a subtle examination of conscience at varied levels for each
of us.
Let
us turn to Apostle Paul – he has another crucial challenge to pose, through his
declaration in his letter to the Galatians – “it is no longer I who live, but
it is Christ who lives in me” (2:20).
For Paul living or dying did not
matter – what mattered to him was Christ, and Christ alone; everything else was
a rubbish (Phil 3:8) for him. The world today dares to consider everything
rubbish, even God and faith as rubbish for the sake of attaining what it
considers success and win! Sometimes the so-called spiritual persons are
readily prey to this thinking.
Christ living in him, was a bold
claim that Paul had, but he was honest about it. That is why for him no
sacrifice was too demanding; no loss was worth lamenting; no gain was really
worth contemplating! Everything and the whole of him belonged to Christ!
Thirdly, that statement underlines the intimate
relationship that the apostle had with Christ, his Master! The apostles present
the same challenge to us: to have a love for Christ that would consume us
totally in our body and soul, making us aglow with the love for Christ and
Christ's mission of the Reign of God!
These two pillars – Peter and
Paul, stand testimonies to how a life in Christ has to be lived! One shows in
action and the other in his commitment; one in his total dependence on the Lord
and the other in a total consummation for the sake of the Lord. For them the
true treasure, the true strength, the true source of wellbeing was Christ and
they depended on no one or nothing else, they feared no one or no forces, they
cared about nothing else other having Christ with them! They realised their
responsibility to be stones on which the community shall be built, and not to
be the cracks from which the community would be divided!
They were uncompromisingly
convinced of their commission to proclaim the Gospel even at the point of
death! Killing the apostles pleased the Jews, we see in the first reading
today: those were the times when the first apostles braced themselves to stand
for the Message of Christ. They found themselves at the point of being
sacrificed, but nothing discouraged them from bearing witness to Christ and his
message! It is a fight, a race - not just a glamorous show to be an apostle, we
are reminded today. The lion's mouth, the evil that surrounds and the powers of
death are certainly to be found, when I begin to understand, accept and live to
the full, my call to be an apostle... but at no point will the Lord's
deliverance be lacking!
The Apostles give us a strong lesson: when I
decide to run the race, to fight the good fight, 'the Lord will rescue me from
every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever
and ever. Amen.'
