SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. 

MT 16:18

ACTS 12:1-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are told that when King Herod began persecuting members of the early Church and saw how the beheading of James pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. When we commit sins in order to gain popularity and to please and appease the self-appointed leaders of a sinful culture we begin to walk down a slippery slope into the bottomless pit of evil. 

You assure us that we need not fear those who kill the body but after that can do nothing more, rather we are to fear the One who after we are killed has the authority to consign both body and soul to hell. Those who walk in faith are protected by heaven as Peter and the entire Church who prayed unceasingly for Peter when he was imprisoned and under heavy guard, were to find out.

 
God's angels surround us. His mighty, unfailing protection keeps us safe from the evil plots of the enemy. God saves - that is what Your Name means and we can trust You completely. Peter slept peacefully between the two soldiers who had fastened him with double chains. Armies may come against us but will not prevail for when You fight the battle for us we are victorious. 

God heard the prayers of those interceding for Peter and sent an angel to rescue him. No chains, no bars, no prison doors can withstand the power of God as Peter found out and said, ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’ 

With You on our side, Lord, we are invincible.

PSALM 34:2-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Truly You are a God who saves. You hear every sigh, every cry, You see every tear, and You hurry to console and to save when we cry out to You. 

I can never thank You enough for all the mercies You have shown me. Thank You for the glorious eternity that awaits me so I can praise You forever for walking with me, supporting me, hearing my prayers, answering each one of them so wonderfully but above all for the hope I have that one day when this short life ends I will see You face to face.

Grant that I may never cease to praise You, glorify You, and extol You in all circumstances for You are worthy of praise and worship. Today, I wish to thank You in a very special way for the angel that You have appointed to be my guardian and who never leaves my side. Thank You, Lord.

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8,17-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I can never thank You for the glorious gift of faith. St. Paul, the most glorious apostle of the faith reveals the true joy of being a faithful disciple to the end. Here was a man who waged war against all who believed in You but You transformed him into the greatest missionary of all time. He shows us how every witness to the Gospel ought to live. Our whole life must be one that radiates You. We don't need words to preach the Good News if we pour our lives as he did as a sacrifice of self-giving.

He was rightly confident of the glorious crown that awaited him for he had served You gladly and rejoiced in His sufferings for Your sake and counted it all joy. 

To Paul, You entrusted a very special mission, ours may not be as great but it is just as important and necessary. We are called to shine the light of love and truth by our lives and when we do we can have the same hope of a glorious destiny. Just as You led him safely despite all the terrors he faced, so too will You lead us and rescue us from all evil when we yield our life to You. Together with Paul we too say, "All glory be to You, Beloved, forever and ever. Amen."

MATTHEW 16:13-19 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The question You posed to Your disciples is one that is posed to every disciple in every generation and in every age and it is one to which we must respond truthfully. ‘But you, _____, who do you say I am?’ 

Simon Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit spoke up and said, 'You are the Christ, ‘the Son of the living God.’ Peter did not understand fully what this meant when he said it. He would in time but not right then. But You knew right away that it was Your Father in heaven who had revealed this truth to Him and it was for a particular purpose. You replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.'

You then went on to make a solemn declaration about Peter and the Church You were about to build. Peter was to be the rock on which You would build it and You said so in no uncertain terms, 'So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.'  And not only was Peter given the place of primacy among the Apostles but he was also given further authority, 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

Let us not play games of semantics in order to obscure the truth. We cannot take You at Your word to mean exactly what You said about some things and fiddle around with others because it does not suit us. 

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of the Primacy of Peter, and the Magisterium, in the Bark of Peter, all who take You at Your word will find ourselves brought safely to harbor through all the storms of a culture that in every age is shaped and steeped in the capricious wisdom of a fallen world.