DAILY HOMILIES #Peter

As children of God, when we leave the Church, we are to realize that our time in the Church was a time of spiritual impartation. We carry something with us when we leave, something we cannot see physically yet it is real. More still, we even receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We should never assume we are empty. We should consciously take what we have received and reached out to the sick; those who cannot come to church; those who do not yet believe in God; those who are passing through some difficulty or another.

Pretense (unholy diplomacy) is a virus that we all need to delete from our lives. It is also important to point out the fact that Paul did not go about talking about Peter behind his back but addressed Peter to his face. If you lack the courage to tell people their faults to their face, better keep quiet and pray for them. Do not be a coward.

When we get there, we too shall say like Peter that “it is wonderful to be here.” There is more to life than what meets the eyes. There is more to existence than what we can verify. If God were to open our eyes like He did with Peter, James, and John or even Daniel as we saw in today’s first reading, we would never for once doubt His existence again. So, let us not get discouraged by suffering, pain, and hardship now. No matter what we have to give up now for Christ’s sake, heaven is worth it.

If your conscience is clear, you have no reason whatsoever to be living in fear. If it is not your time, nothing, nothing in heaven or on earth can kill you. You will walk on water and you will not sink. You will pass through fire and it will be cold. Your enemies will set different traps for you and you will scale through like breeze. Fear Not.

Today we celebrate the ultimate victory of the Apostles for their efforts to keep the faith despite their struggles. Herod arrested Peter intending to bring him to trial so as to publicly make fun of him but that very night he was set free by the Angel of God. Even if he would eventually die for the sake of the Gospel, this very incident is proof that when we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we are never alone.

In as much as we are to encourage others to be holy and faithful in their Christian lives, we should never forget that holiness is not measured in comparison with others but how we measure up to the personal will of God for our lives. If a fish forgets his own purpose and attempts to start climbing trees that fish would not survive for long.

For all those times, Peter would have to suffer, the only thing that would keep him going is the memory of his triple “yes” to Jesus’ question. Love is patient and kind; love takes no record of records; love never ends; love never gives up. Jesus even went as far as predicting the kind of death Peter would die; how he would stretch his hands while others will tie his belt and take him where he does not wish to go.

The election of Saint Mathias whose feast we celebrate today teaches us that no matter how good we are, there would always be someone who can take our place. We have been chosen by God but our election does not mean we have become indispensable. The will of God must be done and the work of God has to continue. If you serve in any capacity in God’s house, avoid pride; be good to people, never think that without you, everything will end.

It is not possible for us to understand everything about God. Like the Holy Eucharist, there are still so many things about God that remain mysteries to us. No matter how high the temptation may be for you to walk away from God, let us remember that the best is yet to come. God has not changed and will never change a bit. Just hold on. Don’t quit on God. For his steadfastness to endure when he didn’t understand, Peter would go on to become a great instrument in God’s hands.

We cannot claim to love God if we are not willing to suffer even a single insult on behalf of God. We cannot claim to love God if we are not willing to abandon our dreams of becoming rich and wealthy in life to answer our calling. Of course, not all of us have been called by God to become ministers like Peter and the other apostles but each of us has been called to love God with all our minds, our hearts, and our strength.

If it comes to that point when we have to choose who to obey, let us remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Sometimes, it is good for us to experience failure so that we may have the opportunity of asking ourselves certain very serious questions. “Am I just trying to make money or am I doing what God brought me to this life to do?”