Sunday June 29th: Only by God’s Grace

Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

“It was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”

Matthew 16:13-19

Sts. Peter and Paul can be considered  biblical giants who played a tremendous role, each in his unique way, in charting the way forward for the early church, and whose life and teaching impact the Christian world today.

Whenever in our own faith journey our reach for perfection eludes us, we should not lose hope. A look at Peter’s chequered past, far from perfect as it was, teaches us much. It is the same Peter who denied Jesus three times who was able, by God’s grace, to declare unreservedly in today’s Gospel, “You are the Christ, Son of the Living God.”

Likewise, Paul was dramatically converted from ‘persecutor of early Christians’ to shaper of their faith through his visits and letters. He testifies in our second reading today: “But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed” …

We pray that even as we grapple with our shortcomings, we will be open to the Holy Spirit allowing God to do His will in us and through us. Amen.