DAILY HOMILIES #Peter

Today, we remember St. Peter and St. Paul, the greatest names in the church’s early history. In our Gospel passage today, we see that Peter was the one to whom Jesus entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven as the visible head of the Church. Meanwhile, Paul was the one Jesus arrested on the way to Damascus, making him a great apostle to the Gentile world.

Unlike the rich young man who walked away sad, the true disciple seeks God first and relies on God for security. In today’s first reading, Saint Peter himself describes the true disciple as one who is committed to personal holiness, one who is not conformed to the passions of his former ignorance.

Do You Want To Live Forever? Do what Jesus says - Keep God’s Commandments: “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honour your father and your mother.” The essence of these commandments is to love your neighbour as yourself.

The spirit of competition is wired into our being; we want to be the greatest among our peers, classmates, siblings, fellow employees, business associates, etc. While this could motivate us to take necessary steps that bring about positive growth, it also has negative side effects.

The office is indispensable, but the office holder can be replaced anytime. No matter the position you occupy, there is someone who can take your place and even do a better job. Do your best, but take it easy; no matter how good you are, you cannot be there forever

You cannot be a true Christian without bearing fruits. You cannot be light, yet fail to shine on at least one person – bringing them out of the darkness of sin and ignorance. You cannot be salt without anyone ever getting to taste your sweetness. As Christians, we are influencers – we always attract people by our words and lifestyle, not to ourselves but to Jesus Christ.

One shining virtue we should all have is humility. Without it, we cannot learn from others or grow. We should never do anything to attract praise or exaltation to ourselves; let us allow God himself to exalt us.

Jesus did not explain himself to those asking. He said: “You are not my sheep.” Child of God, are you the sheep of Christ? Why do you still doubt? Why are you still scared of the future? Why are you worried about your enemies? Jesus says: “They shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

Today, Jesus distinguishes the shepherd from the thief. The thief does not enter by the door but climbs another way (jumps the fence). Did I get into power through legitimate channels or “snatching, grabbing and running away with the ballot box”? Secondly, another quality of the thief is their intention. Am I in power to help the sheep (give them life) or steal from them? Is my continued stay in power destroying my sheep?

Life combines good and bad times, and there is no escaping the bad times. If you cannot endure the bad times, you won’t be around to enjoy the good times. If Peter had walked away from Jesus when He taught about the Eucharist, would he perform signs and wonders in Joppa?

By citing examples of Thaddeus and Judas the Galilean, Gamaliel compared Jesus to rabble-rousers who had previously claimed to be Messiahs. For Gamaliel and the council members, it would be a miracle if the church survived a few years. Two thousand years later, this miracle is still ongoing. Similarly, when Andrew told Jesus about the lad with five loaves and two fish, he didn’t see how it would be enough to feed the multitude.

Even after orchestrating the death of Jesus Christ, the high priest and his council refused to admit the truth. They angrily said to the apostles: “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” (Acts 5:28). Who else should the apostles hold responsible for Jesus’ death? Who paid Judas Iscariot? Who instigated false witnesses against Jesus? Who mobilised the crowds to shout “Crucify Him?”