13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C/ PETER AND PAUL
ROCK OF FAITH
MT 16: 13-19
MESSAGE
This Sunday we celebrate a great feast in the church as we remember the apostles of Rome, Peter and Paul. This is a reminder that the Catholic Church is an apostolic community, founded on the faith, witness and blood of the apostles.
Doesn’t this bring us back to the days of the conclave that elected our new holy father, Pope Leo XIV? We were then in search of a new pope, not to replace the late Pope Francis, but to succeed in the mission of Peter, the first bishop of Rome and head of the apostolic band. In Leo XIV we have the 267th successor of the fisherman.
What was so important about Peter? Peter was the recipient of the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ, the rock upon which he founded his church. Peter was the holder of the keys of the Kingdom, the one to whom power was given to bind or loose in forgiveness in Jesus’ name. While this did not diminish the dignity of the other apostles, the choice of Peter gave the apostles and the early Christian community a visible center, a faithful reference point, and a solid basis of belief. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” – Peter’s confession of faith is also what we hold dear to our hearts.
For all these, Peter was not perfect, nor was Paul. In fact, none of the apostles were. Like us, they had moments of weakness and error, doubts and hard-heartedness. But knowing their inadequacies, Peter and Paul showed us that we can fall and rise again, we can miss the point and understand, we can waiver and be renewed, if we hold on to our faith in Jesus as Lord. This faith is what links us also to Christ.
REFLECT
Viva il Papa! – remember that chant a few months ago? It was a shout of jubilation but also our prayer for the strength and holiness of the newly chosen pope. As we pray for him, let us also pray for a deeper faith like that granted to Peter and Paul, for we too, are the modern apostles of our age; let us pray for hope and redemption in the midst of our weakness, like what the apostles experienced.
