SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL HOMILY — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: FREEDOM!
BY: Fr Oselumhense Anetor
Acts 12:1-11, Ps 34:2-9, 2nd Timothy 4:6-18, Matthew 16:13-19
The Universal Church celebrates two principal pillars of the Church today, the fisherman, who became the first Pope; and the persecutor of Christians, who became a great herald of the faith (cf. Catholic Missal App.). The fact that this Solemnity is celebrated even on a Sunday, shows us how much inspiration their lives and intercession is to us. It’s a special day for us here in Ahia and Udakpa communities because these are our Patron Saints. These two great men were not the most perfect of persons, but in their striving to follow Jesus Christ, they found true freedom and liberation. In the first reading, we see how God rescues Peter from the jaws of death; the spiritual dimension of which Paul makes us understand in his Second Letter to Timothy.
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For the Christian therefore, the joy is not so much in the escape from physical suffering and death (for Peter and Paul had a fair share of persecution before they were both killed for the faith) but in the assurance that after the good fight comes the crown of glory; an ‘escape’ from eternal damnation. No wonder the psalmist today gives thanks to God for rescuing him. Friends, in the lives of Saints Peter and Paul, we come to realise that true freedom comes from “fighting the good fight”; from binding that which should be bound, and loosening that which should be loosed. Through their intercession, may we find the courage to witness to Christ in our world today, in spite of the many challenges. And when life is ended, may we able to say like St Paul, “I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness.”
Good morning dear. Happy Sunday. Saints Peter and Paul, pray for Us!
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