Reflection

“He said to them, ‘But you, who do you say that I am?’”  (Matthew 16:15)

On this feast day, we celebrate the two main pillars of the early church, Peter and Paul.  They are the most widely acclaimed saints in the Church and their names are joined, though they rarely worked side by side.  Even their calls to be apostles of Jesus were different.  Peter was brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew (John 1:42), without fanfare, while Paul met Jesus on his way to Damascus in a most dramatic way, with flashing lights that caused him to fall to the ground (Acts 9:3ff).  Paul’s call to apostolate did not differ from the grace of conversion: “God chose to reveal his Son to me, so that I might announce…” (Galatians 1:16).

The Galilean fisherman Peter and the scholarly Pharisee Paul – so different in personality, worldview and background – are forever joined in Christian awareness. Despite their differences, they were united by a fiery love of Jesus and the Church.  And although they did not die on the same day, the Church celebrates their feast together in honor of their labors and their martyrdom.

From the first Pentecost, Peter’s leadership of the Church was evident.  Peter moved from Jerusalem to Antioch to Rome, where for more than two thousand years his successors have continued to offer a dynamic link to Jesus’ desire to build his Church.  The value of Peter’s faith and the foundation of his role as leader was his confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).  This is the very faith that Paul was referring to in his declaration that “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).  Though Paul was among the last to be called an apostle, it could well be argued that it was he who developed the doctrines of faith that became the basis for our creed and continue to define the Church today.

These two saints, Peter and Paul, have made it clear that our faith is not meant to be an individual, isolated thing.  It’s not just “me and Jesus”.  It’s “Christ and his Church”.  God never wanted us to live in isolation from each other; Christ never intended for Christianity to be an individual experience.  He gave a corporate dimension to our faith so that our experience of life in the spirit would be spurred on in power and supported in hope by the faithful witness of so many other believers, as our theme for the week tells us: “We are empowered by the Holy Spirit when we proclaim Christ as the Son of the Living God.” 

By faith we are saved, and this faith is a gift from our Father in heaven.  Through the Church, let us make known the manifold wisdom of our God.  Peter and Paul are wonderful examples of God’s way of taking flawed individuals and turning them into powerful witnesses to the Gospel.  Peter and Paul’s accomplishments are not simply their hard work, creativity and excellent administrative skills.  Both were formed in the crucible of difficulties and failures that left them humbled.  And because of the way God dealt with them, they became more aware of their need for him and were captivated by his love.  Thus, God’s promise is accomplished in them:  “…the crown of righteousness awaits me which the Lord will award to me on that day.”  (Mt 16:19)

We too are all called to be saints, each in our own way.  We have experienced the power of the Gospel in our lives in our moments of personal conversion and encounter with Jesus.  But this will continue to happen in our lives only if we allow Jesus to form us.  Our transformation, like those of Peter and Paul, must hinge on Jesus.  We need to know that it is the Holy Spirit who can transform us, just as He changed the apostles Peter and Paul.   We too are called to be pillars of the Church.  As we let Christ’s firm but gentle and loving hand break our outer shell of self-sufficiency and allow the Holy Spirit to overcome all that binds us to sin and temptation, He will make known to us the mysteries of God so that we can grow in the knowledge of the Gospel.

There comes a time in our lives when, if we are to be Christ’s disciples in the manner of Peter and Paul, we must confront the question He asks of us today: “But you, who do you say that I am”? Jesus is looking for our own statement of faith.  At every prayer time, at every Mass, in every encounter with others, let us pursue Jesus.  He wants to meet with us even more than we want to meet with Him. Then we too can proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord by our lives in accordance with the Father’s will for us.  Then God can make us into His faithful servants, just as He did Peter and Paul.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me to be one of your disciples and for sending your Holy Spirit to teach and remind me who Jesus is in my life.  May I ever proclaim your Lordship and claim my inheritance in Christ, in fellowship with all your people.  May I never become timid in accepting and proclaiming you, despite the many trials in my life.  Most Holy Spirit, inspire me with a missionary zeal.  Amen!

Reflection Questions:
1. At this point in your faith walk with Jesus, who would you say He is in your life today?  Is He the same as the first time you encountered Him?

2. Although Jesus mission is salvation for all, still he is your personal Lord and Savior.  In response to this all consuming love, what could be you unique faith-statement?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
June 29, 2014 (Sun)    Acts 12:1-11/Ps 34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9/2Tm 4:6-8,17-18/Mt 16:13-19
June 30, 2014 (Mon)    Am 2:6-10,13-16/Ps 50:16-17,18-19,20-21,22-23/Mt 8:18-22
July 1, 2014 (Tues)      Am 3:1-8,4:11-12/Ps 5:4-6,6-7,8/Mt 8:23-27
July 2, 2014 (Wed)      Am 5:14-15,21-24/Ps 50:7,8-9,10-11,12-13,16-17/Mt 8:28-34
July 3, 2014 (Thur)      Eph 2:19-22/Ps 117:1,2/Jn 20:24-29
July 4, 2014 (Fri)         Am 8:4-6,9-12/Ps 119:2,10,30,40,131/Mt 9:9-13
July 5, 2014 (Sat)       Am 9:11-12/Ps 85:9,11-12,13-14/Mt 9:14-17

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

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