Homily: June 29, 2025, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

-

 From the first reading, Peter said: “Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”

From the second reading, Paul said: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.”

Peter and Paul.

Distinct characters but one heart and mind.

Different persons but together in mission.

Two apostles but one Lord and Master.

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the two pillars of the Catholic Church, together they make up the foundation of our Catholic teaching. Among the many disciples of the Lord, we know more about Peter and Paul, thanks to St. Luke, who recorded their stories and events in the Acts of the Apostles. The first half of the book was focused on Peter, the other half on Paul.

When we look closely at them, we immediately see many differences, but why does the Church celebrate them together on the same feast day?

Paul was a charismatic and bold preacher. From the beginning, he was open to proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles. His heart burned with the desire that all nations and peoples would hear the Word of the Lord and be converted.

Peter, on the other hand, was more reserved. As head of the Christian community, he was deeply committed to preserving sacred tradition and to guarding the orthodoxy of the faith. He was pastoral, careful, and dedicated to what had been handed down.

Distinct characters but one heart and mind.

Simon was named Peter when Jesus declared him the rock on which the Church would be built and handed him the keys of the Kingdom. He represents the traditional aspect of the Church.

Saul was renamed Paul when Jesus gave him the mission to preach to the world beyond the Jewish circle. He represents the missionary aspect of the Church.

The Church cannot exist with one without the other. Peter and Paul together is the foundation, together they hold up the Church.

Different persons but together in mission.

As we look at them closely again, we also discover many similarities. Both began their first sermons with reflections on Psalm 16. Both defeated sorcerers. Both raised people from the dead. Both were miraculously delivered from prison. Both suffered but embraced martyrdom in Rome. And most importantly, both preached the same Christ and the same Gospel.

Two apostles but one Lord and Master.

But what strikes me most is this: they were both painfully aware of their weaknesses.

Peter would never forget the night he denied Jesus three times. That moment of failure humbled him for the rest of his life. Paul, who once persecuted the Church, also carried the memory of that darkness within him.

Their dark past did not disqualify them, nor handicapped them, instead the Lord used that to form and build them up. Their sinful past became a channel of grace, their weakness became the window for strength.

Paul wrote: "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9).

"God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27).

"We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Like everyone of us, they were normal men with common weaknesses. But they became powerful apostles because they dedicated themselves totally to the Lord and allowed the strength of the Holy Spirit to work through them fully.

Peter and Paul’s weaknesses assure us that we too can become powerful disciples if we dedicate our lives totally to the work of the Holy Spirit like they did.

Peter and Paul’s differences tell us that there is no one fixed model of discipleship, every one of us in our distinctive characters and personalities can become effective witnesses of Christ.

Peter and Paul stand before us, not as perfect men, but as transformed men. Not as superheroes, but as redeemed sinners. In them we see clearly what God can do with a heart that is willing.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Amen!


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: March 29, 2025, Saturday of theThird Week in Lent (Rain)

-
 “He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” Do you like the rain? I have always enjoyed rain, not just watching it from my window, but walking or playing in the rain. Rain is refreshing, especially on hot days. When I was little, growing up in India, we always looked forward to the summer rain. It wasn’t until I came to Iowa that I experienced spring rain, which is gentle, joyful and uplifting. During summer in India, the scorching heat would dry up everything; water in the creeks and ponds would vanish, grass and plants would wither. In those days before there was tap water, people would walk long distances in the summer heat to collect water then carry it home in huge plastic pots. The intense heat, the lack of oxygen and the loss of liveliness in the environment also dulled everybody’s mood. Then after some months, the rain would come. Sometimes suddenly, sometimes in thunderstorms, but we would always know it was coming. The hornbill birds would...
Read more

Homily: May 19, 2023, Friday of the Sixth week of Easter (Shave Head)

-
 At Cenchreae, he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow. At the end of the first reading, we heard that Paul shaved his head because of a vow he took. Scholars have suggested that very likely Paul had taken a Nazarite vow, and at the completion of the term and requirements, he would shave his head. Such a custom is common in Asia, especially in India. Catholic devotees would make vows to Mother Mary or some saints. Hindus also practice the same, taking vows to their deities, and they would shave their heads in response to the fulfilment of their petitions or requests. My mother was such a devotee, she took many vows. When my parents were childless for 7 years, my mother took many vows in return for the blessing of a child. One of which she promised to shave the head of her first child at the Velankanni Shrine. It is a major Marian shrine located in another state next to where my family lived. Finally, my mother gave birth to 7 children over 13 years, she could not travel t...
Read more

Homily: June 27, 2025, MSolemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

-
 “As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep.” Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. And yet, if we look closely at the readings, we don’t see any explicit reference to the heart of Jesus. However, in the second reading, we read about the love of God through Jesus and in the first reading and Gospel, we are given a clear description of the love of a good shepherd for his own sheep. The good shepherd in these texts refer to Jesus, so what we celebrate today, is the loving, self-giving heart of Jesus, our good and true shepherd. We celebrate His unwavering protection, dedicated care and sacrificial love for us, His flock. Sheep are vulnerable, they do not have any sense of direction, totally cannot protect themselves or each other, but quite amazingly, they respond to the voice and instructions of their shepherd. They cannot survive on their own, they need their shepherd. So, the good shepherd w...
Read more

Homily: June 24, 2025, Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

-
 “What, then, will this child be?” One of the greatest joys of my ministry as a priest is baptizing and welcoming new Catholics, whether adults, youth, young children or babies. At St. Ambrose, I have witnessed an overwhelming number of baptisms compared to funerals. Last year, we had over 70 baptisms, only 8 funerals. Thanks be to God! In my last four years here, I have had the privilege of baptizing at least 150 babies. Every baptism is a celebration of new life in Christ, a rebirth, a new creation. And very often, shortly after a child is born, families would invite me either to the hospital, or once they get home, to pray for, to bless or simply to be present with them as they rejoice in the arrival of their newborn. The birth of a child is a profound sign of a greater force at work.  As I gaze at these beautiful little bundles of new life, like the people at the birth of John the Baptist, I too wonder: What will this child be? How will God work through this life? When I w...
Read more

Homily:May 21, 2025, Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter (Pruning)

-
(Holy Family School Mass) “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”  Do you know what is pruning? If you ever see a gardener or farmer carefully cutting some parts of the plants, very likely he could be pruning the plant. He is definitely not killing it! In today’s reading Jesus tells about pruning grapevines. Now I am not very familiar with pruning grapevines, but I do know a little about pruning tea plants from my farming experience in my childhood years. When I was a young boy, my family had a few acres of tea plants on our farm. Every five years, toward the end of summer, we would prune those tea bushes. We carefully cut away all their leaves. Yes, all the leaves. So after pruning, the plants would look lifeless as if dead, with no leaves, nothing to admire, just bare branches and short. Seems very cruel and crazy, isn’t it? But then something amazing would happen soon afterward. In just a few days...
Read more

Homily: November 23, 2024, Saturday of the Thirty -Third Week in Ordinary Time (Resurrection)

-
“Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, ‘Come up here.’ So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on.” In this scene, we can identify three parties: the loud voice from heaven, which we know is God; the two prophets who died, but later received the breath of life from God and went up to heaven in a cloud; and finally, their enemies who could only look on as the two were taken up to heaven. Are we people who reject Church teachings and persecute Jesus’ way of life? Or are we people who live by the teachings of the Church and give witness to the Gospel of Christ? We can be called Christians and be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, but are we living the life as witnesses or anti-witnesses? This vision from the book of Revelations gives us hope and reinforces our belief in resurrection, it also is a warning to those who are believers only in name but not in practice. This vision will become a reality at the end of time. Will we be the ones taken up...
Read more

Homily: June 15, 2025 Soemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

-
Today’s second reading ends with this powerful phrase: “Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Today we celebrate two beautiful events: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Father’s Day. So, happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers, fathers-to-be and godfathers! My siblings and I are incredibly blessed to have had a good Christian father who fulfilled his duties both as a father and as a Catholic. My papa was a very quiet, resilient, yet very gentle person. He loved and protected all his seven children, physically, emotionally, mentally and especially spiritually. He taught us the faith and was a great model of the traditions. He made sure we never missed Sunday Mass and took us regularly to Confession. I was very much a “dad’s boy”, working with him daily on the farm, taking care of the animals together with him. He didn’t worry much about school grades, but he was very firm and strict with us re...
Read more

Homily: May 24, 2025,Saturday of the Fifth week of Easter (Persecution)

-
 “No slave is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” There is no doubt: every Christian who follows Jesus truly and live fully obedient to His commandments will face some form of persecution. The stories of the saints and martyrs throughout history confirm this reality. If we genuinely live according to the values of the Gospel, persecution is inevitable. Why? Because the world lives in opposition to the Gospel values. We all love Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She is now a canonized saint of the church but before she even died, she was already recognized as a living saint. She responded to the call of Jesus with extraordinary faith, humility and full obedience. She lived the Gospel in a powerful and real way, she showed mercy, compassion and solidarity with the poorest of the poor, living with them in the poorest of conditions, feeding them from the poverty she embraced but embracing them with the fullness of Christ’s love through the congregati...
Read more

Homily: May 6, 2025, Tuesday of he Third week of Easter (Daily -Martydom)

-
 "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." The courage of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, always amazes me. Where did he get such strength? How was he able to withstand the big solid stones being thrown at him?  Imagine the heavy and harsh hits on the face, the head, the chest, everywhere on the body – breaking skin, damaging flesh and smashing the bones. Pain aside, how could he still pray for them who were hurting and killing him at that moment? What gave him such strength? It was what he believed, his firm and steadfast faith. Stephen knew who was waiting for him in heaven. As we heard at the beginning of the reading: “Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” He saw Jesus, the King of Martyrs, waiting for him in glory. Jesus was waiting to receive Him. Surely Stephen’s ...
Read more