THE RIGHT RELIGION.
June 29, 2023.
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles.
“You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church…”
Mt 16:18
An English proverb says: “No good building without a good
foundation.” And a Latin proverb adds: “A weak foundation destroys the work.”
Today we celebrate the solemnity of two great Apostles,
Peter and Paul. This feast is also known and celebrated as Pope's Day. For,
Peter is looked at and venerated in the Catholic Church as the “First Pope”,
the Vicar of Christ, and so, the successive Popes as successors of Peter, and
Vicars of Christ on earth. Peter, the martyrology says, was chosen by the Lord
to be the leader of the Church and given the task to preach the Gospel,
especially among the Jewish communities. Paul became the chosen instrument of
God to bring the Good News to the whole world. In the process of conversion,
both Apostles, Peter, and Paul, experienced the gratuitous compassion and
forgiveness of the Lord. They are our ancestors in the faith, the ones who have
handed over to us the message of life.
In our Credo, we profess: "I believe in One, Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church." Through this profession of faith, we
speak of the Apostolic origin of the Church. And who says Apostolicity speaks
also of something that originated from Christ himself.
Some critics of the Catholic Church say right when they hold
that Jesus did not founded a Church. And that is true. For, Jesus Christ, in
the course of his mission, just called to him some Apostles and followers. In
other words, Jesus established a “CONGREGATION" of “PEOPLE" that
followed his instructions (disciplines) and became his “disciples.”
John 8:31–32 says that Jesus had thousands of people that
congregated at his sermons outside in different places…near the sea-shore and
up on the mounts. It is from the mission of those followers and Apostles that
the Church will originate. The Church, therefore, is born from the Apostles.
Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus, we read in Mt 16:13-20, after Peter's profession
of faith, entrusted him the keys of the Kingdom: "I will give you the keys
of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven;
whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." From that commissioning
of Peter springs the Petrine doctrine and leadership. Peter was made the head
of the Apostolic cohort.
We are celebrating today, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and
Paul. These two Apostles of the Lord are known to be the "Principal
Pillars of the Church" founded by Christ. Though we said ahead that Jesus
did not found a Church, the congregation he gathered around him became a
Church, so everything finds its origin in him and in his actions. St. Peter was
chosen by the Lord to be his first Vicar on earth; thus, the Lord endowed him
with the power of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and gave him the role of
the Shepherd of his flock. St. Paul, the Apostle of the Risen Lord, was chosen
to form part of the Apostolic College after his dramatic conversion on the road
to Damascus. He was elected to bring Christ's name to the Nations. Thus, he
stands as the great missionary and the Apostle of the Gentiles.
Through these two Apostles, and also, with the others, we
have the origin of the true Church, the Right Religion. The right religion is
all about apostolic succession, and a doctrinal faith kept from generation to
generation.
Genuine faith does not originate from a sudden inspiration
or a vision. True religion is not born from an overnight apparition. Today,
unfortunately, churches and many Christian or Evangelical constellations spring
like mushrooms. And regrettably, with all the exaggeration and excess. Some of
the so-called Christians of the Evangelical denomination have no other
doctrinal teaching but to attack the Catholic Church and its practices and
devotions or teachings. We see the pastors of those mushroom churches impose
practices on their followers... Many are Christian religions only by name, but
nothing to do with Jesus Christ of Nazareth and his teachings and his way.
Celebrating Sts. Peter and Paul, we are urged to reflect on
religion in general and religious beliefs in particular. Is your church, your
pastor, and your faith leading you to Jesus or away from him? Does what you
believe make you a missionary, ready, like Peter and Paul to give up their
lives for others? We read in the first reading that Peter, because of his faith
in Christ faced prison and persecution from King Herod. We hear also from Paul
about all that he is enduring and his soon-coming passion for Christ. But both
were bold and firm in their faith in the Lord. How does your religion open you
to such faith?
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