STRONG FOUNDATION, PILLARS OF FAITH.

June 29 2020
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

READINGS: ACTS 12:1-11; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 2 TM4:6-8, 17-18; MT 16:13-19.

A British proverb says, “No good building without a good foundation.” And another Turkish proverb adds, “A building without foundation is soon demolished.”

Every house or building, to stand firm, must be erected on strong foundations and firm pillars. A building without pillars is a mere toy at the mercy of any wind.

We are celebrating today two great Apostles that all agree to call the foundations and pillars of the Church and the Christian Faith. We are celebrating St. Peter, the key holder of the Church and St. Paul its sword holder. Both, one opens us the door of faith and the other carves deep within us the faith.

Every time that that the two apostles are represented side by side, Peter is painted holding into his hand a big ancient key. That refers to what the Lord Jesus promised him after his profession of faith in the region of Caesarea Philippi, “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…” (Mt 16:18-19). As for Paul, the sword is the expression of the zeal with which he once was burning to extinguish the way of the Nazorean, by exterminating the believers. After his conversion, his zeal will also be converted into a burning rage to make disciples for Christ. With the sword of his preaching, he dogged deep within the believers the words of the Gospel. The sword of the enemy has turned to become the sword of the pro-founder and defender.

Today’s solemnity takes us to reflect on the beautiful reality of the Church as built upon an Apostolic Foundation, upon Peter and Paul, its two main pillars. It gives meaning to what we profess in our Creed: “I (We) believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church…” For our Church is APOSTOLIC and as its members, we are a community gathered in the faith of the Apostles and helped by their intercession. We are the fruits of their apostolic endeavor.

While celebrating the feast of these two pillars of the Church, the readings of today’s liturgy put a very special accent on the twofold mission of Peter and Paul in the Church and what they were obliged to face in the fulfillment of that mission. In the first reading, we read about how the Lord rescued Peter from the hand of King Herod who “laid violent hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.” This miraculous release of Peter from prison comes to prove the promise the Lord made to him, “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18) Because the Church is built on the strong rock of faith, no persecution, no hatred, not even the powerful kings of this world will prevail against it. Just as he rescued Peter from prison, the Lord will always rescue his Church from persecutions.

In the second reading, Paul speaks of his coming sacrifice. Like Peter and the other apostles, he too will undergo persecutions and hatred for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. Paul, nevertheless, affirms his readiness to face those tribulations. He says with conviction to his spiritual son Timothy: “I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand…” The beautiful aspect of Paul's address to Timothy is the joy it distills, the positivity with which he accepts those already endured trials as well as those to come. Paul sees into them the coronation of his mission with a reward awaiting him. He says, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me…”

Faith, brethren, is what gave strength to Peter and Paul amid their trials. Faith is what makes the firmness of the foundation of the Church. And because we belong to that Church, we should also stand firm in our faith.

This solemnity leads us to celebrate the Pope, successor of the Apostles, as the guardian, safe-keeper, and guaranty of our faith. Through it, we affirm our adhesion to the Pope and his magisterial teaching as inspired by the Spirit of God and therefore infallible. About the Pope, Don Orione, paraphrasing St. Catherine of Siena, calls him the “sweet Christ on earth.”  Don Orione carried on saying, “Love of the Pope is our sacred love; it is our vocation; it is our Creed; it is the impulse of our whole life, my dear sons! In the Pope we see Christ, we follow Jesus Christ, we love Jesus Christ!  And in the Bishops?  In the Bishops we see, we follow, we venerate, we love the Successors of the Apostles "appointed by the Holy Spirit to govern the Church of God," as St. Luke says (Acts 20:28).” Let us, therefore, pray, in this Eucharistic celebration for the Pope, the successor of the Apostles, that in the midst of all adversities and criticisms, he may remain firm in faith and strengthen our faith in Christ, head, and spouse of the Church.