Matthew 16:13-19

Acts 12:1-11

Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I believe that Jesus is the Christ and your eternal Son. You sent him to establish the Church as the seed and beginning of your Kingdom. Through Peter and the apostles and the disciples you spread your Kingdom to the ends of the earth. Reign in my heart!

Encountering the Word of God

1. Peter and Paul: Peter was a fisherman who became the Rock on which Jesus built his Church; Paul was a tentmaker, who became the Apostle whom Jesus sent to the Gentiles. Peter denied Christ, but then turned and strengthened his brethren; Paul persecuted the Church, the Body of Christ, but then turned and brought the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Both men experienced Christ, responded to him generously, and ultimately gave witness to him through their martyrdom in Rome: Peter was crucified upside down on the Vatican Hill; Paul was beheaded along the Via Ostiense. Peter is a man who is deeply conscious of his sin and experiences how his sin offends his God. His weakness and failings often bring him to tears of repentant love and a deeper trust in the Lord. Paul, on the other hand, knows that he is weak, but enjoys the struggle of life. He wants to do battle, run the race, fight the good fight. He trusts not in himself, but in the love of Christ, who can conquer all things.

2. Peter’s Mission: Both Peter and Paul received special commissions from Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that Peter was given his task on three different occasions (Homily, June 29, 2009). First, in the Gospel of Matthew, Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God and, in response, Jesus tells Peter that he “will be the rocky foundation on which he will build the edifice of the Church; he will have the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to open or close it to people as he sees fit; lastly, he will be able to bind or to loose, in the sense of establishing or prohibiting whatever he deems necessary for the life of the Church” (Benedict XVI, June 7, 2006). Second, in the Gospel of Luke, during the Last Supper, Jesus tells Peter: “When you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). These words foretell the weakness of Simon Peter, who was to deny to a maid and a servant that he knew Jesus. “Through this fall, Peter – and with him the Church of all times – has to learn that one’s own strength alone does not suffice to build and guide the Lord’s Church” (Benedict XVI, June 29, 2006). Jesus’ words also promise Peter’s conversion; Jesus will look at Peter (Luke 22:61) and bring him reconciliation and salvation. Third, in the Gospel of John, the risen Jesus entrusts his flock to Peter. He would preside over the flock in charity by following Christ and being open to the action of the Spirit. Peter, then, is the Rock who is called to strengthen his brethren and care for the flock like a shepherd. Peter’s faith began in his experience of Jesus, was founded on the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection, advanced by the working of the Holy Spirit, and, after his death, gave way to the beatific vision in the glory of heaven.

3. Paul’s Mission: Paul is an Apostle by vocation, by the will of God: his conversion was not the result of a development of thought or reflection, but the fruit of divine intervention, an unforeseeable, divine grace (Benedict XVI, October 25, 2006). The only thing that mattered to him was serving Jesus Christ and his Gospel. He dedicated himself to make the Gospel known, to announce the grace destined to reconcile men with God, self, and others. He never tired of proclaiming that we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. The works of the Old Law do not justify and make us righteous. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, he “no longer lives for his own justice. He lives for Christ and with Christ: in giving of himself, he is no longer seeking and building himself up” (Benedict XVI, November 8, 2006). We are united to Christ by faith and are led by the Spirit to the fullness of love. Paul recognized Peter as one of the pillars of the Church. He respected him but did not hesitate to defend the truth of the Gospel. He confronts Peter and argues in favor of freedom from the Law: “In the light of the encounter with the Risen Christ, Paul realized that as soon as they adhered to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gentiles no longer needed as a hallmark of justice either circumcision or the rules that governed food and the Sabbath: Christ is our justice, and all things that conform to him are ‘just.’ No other signs are necessary in order to be just” (Benedict XVI, October 1, 2008). We are free when we conform our lives to Christ, are guided by faith, and serve our brothers.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, enlighten my mind and guide me to know my mission and how to place the talents you gave me at the service of your Kingdom. I reaffirm my faith in you today as the Son of God. Be with me always as I walk toward eternal life with you.

Living the Word of God: The lives of Peter and Paul teach us that we each have different personalities, sensibilities, gifts, and ways of encountering Jesus and responding to him. Holiness is essentially union with God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. At the same time, our holiness is personal; as Jacques Philippe writes: “there are as many forms of holiness, and hence also ways to holiness, as there are people. For God, each person is absolutely unique. Holiness is not the realization of a given model of perfection that is identical for everyone” (Philippe, In the School of the Holy Spirit, 17-18). To be holy we need to understand that God will reveal his path to us by degrees, through the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. Both Peter and Paul are models for us, as they both allowed themselves to be guided by the Spirit through many trials and sufferings. Both now enjoy the heavenly glory of God and intercede for us before the throne of grace.