Gilderious Khonglah csc –
Readings: Acts 12: 1-11; 2 Tim 4: 6-8,17-18; Mt 16: 13-19
Today, we celebrate the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the two pillars of the Catholic Church. These great apostles showed us that the journey of faith is never easy.
Despite being very different from each other and having different missions, together they built up the Church founded by Jesus Christ. The transforming touch of Jesus filled them with zeal despite their weaknesses and shortcomings. The love of Jesus made their hearts burn and their feet move, resulting in the spread of the Good News. We too have been touched by the Lord and set free.
Yet, time and again, we need to realize and feel this divine touch within us. Like Peter, we are called to be set free from a sense of failure, especially in the face of our occasional disasters. We must be set free from the fear that paralyzes us and makes us seek refuge in our own securities and comfort zones.
Like Paul, we are called to be set free from hypocritical outward show and the temptation to present ourselves with worldly power rather than the weakness that makes space for God. We must be free from a religiosity that makes us rigid and inflexible.