Two Living Pillars

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me respond to you in faith so that my life may completely be redirected.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday we are celebrating the greatness of two very different men who received God’s call and God’s grace and thereby became living pillars in our faith community. Aside from their shared faith in Jesus, little else would have brought Peter and Paul together to be leaders of the growing Jesus movement. Had Peter not met Jesus, he would probably have grown old sailing the Sea of Galilee and hauling in his catches. Had Paul not encountered the risen Jesus on the Damascus road, he would probably have continued to serve as a rabbi among his Jewish contemporaries. But Peter and Paul did meet Jesus and respond to him in faith, and as a result, their lives were completely redirected.

Henry Nouwen has suggested that the church would do well to take advantage of the feast of Peter and Paul to celebrate their perseverance, their spiritual insights and their strong commitment to bring the Gospel to the whole world. (Sabbatical Journey, 1998) Because of their deep personal relationship with Jesus, they were able to overcome barriers that might otherwise have kept them apart. As different as night and day, they found a union in Christ that continues to call others to similar communion. Their ability to overcome their differences challenges each of us to a similar generosity.

The insight of Peter and Paul speak anew to us today and call forth similar wisdom in us. With Peter, we are invited to answer the ultimate question (Gospel, Mt. 16:13-19) upon which all other questions and their answers depend. Like Peter, we are to affirm: You are Christ, the Messiah, our hope, our model, our way in and our way out, our open door, our mentor, our friend, our life, our brother, our God. With Peter, we are to shake off the chains (1st reading, Acts 12:1-11), whether these are self-made or crafted by our circumstances, and walk in the freedom that Jesus has won for us.

Standing beside Paul (2nd reading, 2Tim.4:6-18), we remember that all our life can be offered as a sacrifice or a libation poured out in praise of God. Paul reminds us that Jesus stands by us to give us strength and encouragement through all the ups and downs, through every turn and detour we may meet along the way.