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Saints Peter and Paul

This Sunday June 29 is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. These were the two men that  God used to spread the gospel and lead the early Church despite terrible persecution. In the Gospels Peter stands our as apostle who most frequently took  the initiative when they were with Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles portray him as the undisputed leader of the early Church, undergoing enormous hardships and fearlessly facing persecution for the sake of Christ. He was a man of action. He spent his last years in Rome, where tradition tells us he was martyred during the persecution of Nero, in 64 0r 65 AD. St Paul who was well versed in rabbinical learning, at first persecuted the Christians, he has a vision of Christ on the road to Damascus which changed his life. After three years in solitary retirement in the dessert of Arabia , he plunged into a life of intense missionary activity, Tradition says that the was martyred in Rome around the year 67.

The Jews of Jesus’ time were not a free people. They lived under harsh Roman occupation. Yet they held fast to the belief that God would send a king to liberate them a Messiah who would overthrow their oppressors and bring justice and peace to the world. They had waited a long time, trusting in God’s promise. But no one knew exactly who the Messiah would be, what he would be like, or when he would come. Many expected a warrior-king who would lead a revolt against the Romans. Others hoped for a religious reformer who would purify the Temple and restore true worship. Some even claimed to be the Messiah, but the Romans quickly eliminated them, and their followers scattered. In the First Reading  from the acts of the apostles  we are told that Herod imprisoned Peter to appease the Jews. With the Church praying fervently for Peter, an angel appeared, shining light into his cell. Unchained, Peter followed the angel past guards, through self-opening gates, to freedom. In the Second Reading we hear that Paul, seeing his end was near, tells us  I’ve run the race, I have kept the faith. A crown of righteousness awaits me. The Lord gave me strength, protection, and he will guide me to His heavenly Kingdom.

In the reading from Matthews gospel  Jesus asks His disciples about the people’s opinions regarding His identity. Simon Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus acknowledges Peter’s revelation, affirming that upon him, whom He calls Peter, to be the rock that he will build His Church on, and the powers of death will not overcome it. Jesus entrusts Peter with the keys of the Kingdom, granting him authority to bind and loose matters on earth and in heaven. Jesus then asks the disciples, “But, who do you say I am?” It is Peter who adds to the title ‘Son of Man’ by recognising Jesus as ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Jesus names Peter as a happy man. This same Peter whose faith faltered when he was buffeted by the wind and waves of change now shows his openness to God and recognises Jesus for who he is. But this is not the end of Peter’s story. There are ups and downs in his response, as we see that in Matthew 16:21-23 when this ‘rock’ of faith becomes a ‘stumbling block’ to God’s purpose.  In spite of that, Jesus names Peter as the ‘rock’ on which he will build the church. Throughout the centuries Peter is our Holy Father the Pope , Peter the fisherman was the first pope and pope Leo is his successor as the living embodiment of Peter the  rock of faith who is called to build up the church in 2025.

Peter and Paul so different in background and temperament each met Jesus and responded in faith to what they heard and saw. Both Peter and Paul show us how to be courageous in sharing our faith. They faced prison, hardship, and death because they loved Jesus and wanted others to know Him. Their courage encourages us to think about how we live our faith. Do we share it with others? Do we trust God when things get hard?  Peter’s job at the beginning of the church is the same  as it  is today for Pope Leo that is to use the ‘keys of the kingdom’ to unlock the reign of God’s grace and send it out into the world. Are we prepared to be his coworkers where we are right now ? This Holy Year is all about hope often times we feel hopeless and helpless when we see all that is going on in the world around us. Our Prayer and support for one another and our faith leaders is always important.  Our hope filled prayer is that we will be courageous like Peter and Paul as we live and share our faith as they did at the beginning of the Church.

5th Sunday of Easter

This weekend we pray for Pope Leo as he begins his ministry as our Holy Father with mass on Sunday morning to inaugurate his ministry as the successor of Peter. We pray the Holy Spirit will guide him in his leadership of the Church as our shepherd and Father in faith. We also stop and say a prayer for all those who are doing exams over the next few weeks. Our world puts great store on education and often forgets the pressure that this puts on our young people especially at exam time. We pray that they may be inspired to do their best and know that there are people out there family, friends, teachers and lecturers who value them no matter how good or bad  the exam results might be.

On this fifth Sunday of Easter, the scripture readings continue to describe the growth of discipleship and the conditions for the Kingdom of God. Membership in the Kingdom comes about by becoming members of the Church. The term church comes from the Hebrew word Qahal. It comes from a verb meaning called together. So, the Church is a group of people who gather together in faith, hope and Joy. In the First Reading from the acts of the apostles we hear that Paul and Barnabas revisited cities, encouraging disciples and explaining hardships they would endure for the  kingdom of God. They appointed church leaders, entrusted them to the Lord, and shared their mission success in Antioch, emphasizing God’s outreach to non-Jews. In the Second Reading John describes a new heaven and earth, with the old gone. He sees a splendid New Jerusalem and hears God proclaim His eternal dwelling with people, erasing all pain and making everything new. In this Sundays Gospel Jesus calls us to a new way of living when he tells us to love one another as I have loved you.  At one level this is a simple call to love, at another it is a big challenge for us with all that we see going on in our world. This means that we should love as Jesus loves, in order show the face and heart of Christ to a war torn hurting world.

 The love Jesus speaks of seems to be narrow and restrictive. He is addressing his disciples when he says, “love one another.” This love may seem insular and applicable just to an inner circle of his followers. But this is not the case as Jesus wants us to be united with him and one another in love today right where we are. Jesus’ command to love one another is central to Christian life. He taught this lesson at a time when He knew He would be betrayed. Instead of focusing on His own troubles, Jesus emphasized the importance of loving others as he loved them. This teaches us that love should be the foundation of our relationships, even when life gets difficult. Helping and supporting one another in our faith and life journeys means being there for each other through both good and bad times. It means offering a listening ear, a helping hand, and a kind word. By doing this we follow Jesus’ example and build a community rooted in love and care. By loving and supporting one another, we live out the true essence of our faith and strengthen the bonds of faith within our communities. We are called as pilgrims of hope to build and  become that community of love showing the love of God to those around us especially during this Holy Year and at all other times as well.

5th Sunday of Lent

In the first reading God, who controls nature and armies, urges us to forget the past and see His new works: providing for His chosen people, made to praise Him. The exiled people of Israel felt that God had forgotten them, but the prophet Isiah was sent to assure them that God was still concerned for them and would rescue them. The Israelites returned to Jerusalem to make a new beginning in faithful service to God. In the second reading everything is considered a loss compared to knowing Christ. Righteousness comes from faith, not law. Striving to know Christ’s power and share His sufferings, we press on towards eternal life with Him. Paul had placed all his dependence on the Law of Moses until Christs call changed the foundations of his life. He began putting all his trust in Christ.

This Sunday in our Gospel story we hear about the woman who was caught in adultery and we hear Jesus telling us ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Jesus did not deny the Scribes and Pharisees the right to carry out this prescription of the Law, but he insisted on one condition, namely, that they have no sin on their consciences. “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” So many of us today are like the Pharisees in that we are prepared to lift the stone and be the first person to throw it despite our own shortcomings. This story is about so much more than throwing the stones it is really about God’s mercy towards the woman and by association God’s mercy to us. When Jesus and the woman were left alone, he looked up and said, “Woman, where are they?” Ironically, the self-righteous observers of the Law, so eager to throw stones, could not measure up to the requirement that Jesus had laid down and all of them had left.  After they had gone, Jesus lifted up his eyes to the woman looking at her with the eyes of gentleness; he asks her, ‘Has no one condemned you?’ She replies, ‘No one, Lord.’ And he says, ‘Neither do I condemn you.

What does this say to you and me today as so many of us are prepared to throw stones of condemnation at so many people and of course there are also people who would throw stones at us as well.  This gospel teaches us that we should consider what we say and do and their effect on other people. Sometimes the things that we say can be more hurtful than any stones we might throw especially in today’s world of Facebook, Twitter and instant communication. If we remember what Jesus tells us when he says let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw the stone then we won’t go far wrong. The simple truth whether we like it or not is all of us are sinners and none of us are in a position to throw the stone even though we might think we are! The woman caught in adultery expected to die as the Law of Moses prescribed. Through the mercy of Jesus she was able to make a new beginning, her sins forgiven. By the mercy of Jesus  we are also called to our own new beginning. Then, like Paul, we have to forget the past and put our trust in Jesus, crucified and risen again. This new beginning is often difficult, but our strength is in Christ in the eucharist the bread of life. The Gospels of the last two Sundays were parables about God’s forgiveness and tender care in nurturing us back to life. We are called, not to be judges, but people who show God’s compassion and mercy to others.  As we continue our Journey  of hope let us ask the Lord to show us his merciful hopeful way as we head towards the life giving events of Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

8Th Sunday of ordinary time

Next week we begin the season of Lent with the Ashes on Ash Wednesday and we begin our annual  journey of repentance and conversion for 2025 as pilgrims of hope. All of us will have many opportunities to strengthen our spiritual lives over the 6 weeks of lent as we ponder what our faith really means to us as individuals and as a community. We also continue our prayers for the health and wellbeing of Pope Francis.

In the First Reading  this Sunday we are told that a persons  speech reveals their faults and true character. Do not praise someone before hearing them speak as this is the test of men. The Responsorial Psalm is  Psalm 91 and we hear that  It is good to thank and praise the Lord, whose kindness and faithfulness are constant. We are also told that the righteous flourish and bear fruit, proclaiming God’s justice and reliability to those around them. In our Second Reading  we are told that Through Jesus, we have victory over death. Again we are called to be steadfast and devoted to the Lord’s work, knowing all we do is not in vain even though sometimes it might look that way for in the Lord we do not labour in vain.

This Sunday in our Gospel Reading Jesus is coming to the end of what, in Luke, is called the “Sermon on the Plain”. He has instructed his disciples to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, treat others as they would want to be treated, not judge them, etc. Jesus is the wise person teaching the disciples a practical wisdom on how to live their lives as his disciples. Jesus says, in summary, a person’s words and actions will reveal their character. The Gospel tells us There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.’ God’s love is effective, it produces good fruit for the benefit of others. The good we do is the  way to spread the faith to others. Jesus sends us to be witnesses to the faith we profess to practice what we preach in all we do and say. Jesus words to us in this weekend’s gospel  show his concern for the integrity and quality of our lives. We cannot, he says, teach others if we ourselves are not witnesses to what we teach. There are many people out there who were witnesses to the truth of the gospel who have turned away and betrayed the truth and become rotten fruit.  Lent is the time to renew our  selves in terms of faith so that we are able to move forward in the certain knowledge and hope of being true witnesses to the faith. Lent is all about moving forward in a spirit of conversion and prayerful return the spirit of metanoia.

 During Lent we are provided with many opportunities for spiritual renewal but that will be for the weeks ahead. But for now let us stop and reflect on the good we do for others and how that becomes a way of  bringing the faith to the people where they are. As we continue our journey as pilgrims of hope we remember  that  God’s love is effective, and it produces good fruit for the benefit of others and we are called to show gods love through all we do and say for one another.