DAILY HOMILIES #St. Peter

Pretence is a virus we must delete from our lives. Secondly, when correcting others, avoid speaking behind their backs lest it becomes merely gossip and character assassination. By addressing God as our Father, Jesus shows us that we are God’s children, and this must be reflected in our behaviour. Every temptation (or trial) is a spiritual battle; if we are not fortified, we fall

Like the tenants in Jesus’ parable, we often forget that we are tenants on earth and there is nothing we can do to “own” the world. No matter how much you achieve on earth, you will leave everything behind one day. So take it easy. Never forget you are not yet home.

Regardless of your age or achievements, remember you are an infant; have a childlike attitude towards God. In today’s Gospel passage, we see how Bartimaeus successfully received his eyesight because he approached Jesus like a child who did not stop begging until he got the needed attention. It is not in our place to issue commands to God.

A simple way to understand infallibility is to reflect on the incarnation. While Jesus remained God, He humbled himself to the point of taking our weak human nature. In the same way, while Jesus remains the owner and builder of the church, He is incarnated in the person of the Pope.

Today is a day we pray for our Pope who is the visible head of the Church and the representative of Christ on earth. As we pray for him, we also pray for all those who assist him in the exercise of his duties as well as our Bishops, Priests, Religious and Clergy who share in his Apostolic Ministry in various degrees

One thing that marks out the life of Peter and Paul was their unstoppable zeal for evangelization. They were ready to sacrifice everything including their own lives for the sake of God. They suffered a lot but God never abandoned them. On many occasions, they received Angelic visitations and even miraculous deliverance from the hands of their enemies

Dear friends, no matter the reason why we may want to turn our backs on God, the truth is that THERE IS JUST NO ALTERNATIVE. St. Augustine said: “You have made us for yourself O God and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

By displaying his ability to hear from God the Father, Jesus immediately made Peter the visible head of the church. Jesus was confident that the same Holy Spirit that spoke to Peter that day at Caesarea Philippi would continue to speak to him to make the right decisions, to say the right words and carry out the right actions to move the church forward.