The Pillars and Princes of the Church

Readings: 1^st: Acts 12: 1-11; Ps: 33; 2^nd: 2Tim 4: 6-8.17-18; Gos: Jn 16: 13-19

This brief reflection was written by Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp., DMin, a Catholic Priest and a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans). He is a missionary in Puerto Rico. He is Director of Santuario del Espiritu Santo, Dorado, and the Major Superior of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), Circumscription of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Fr. Canice is a member of the Academy of Homiletics. For more details and comments, contact him at: canice_c_njoku@yahoo.com, canicechukwuemeka@gmail.com.

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Today, the One, Holy, Apostolic, and Catholic Church celebrates two famous icons of faith. We celebrate the feast of the princes of the apostles and the pillars of the church. What we celebrate today is faithfulness, courage, humility, and missionary zeal. These are the qualities that characterized these two iconic figures.

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The first reading of this Sunday narrates the story of how God himself mysteriously delivered Peter from prison. This is in line with Jesus’ promise to Peter that: “the kingdom of heaven shall not prevail against you.” Having chosen Peter as the rock, God never abandoned him. Once Peter made a heartfelt confession, the Lord ordained him the chief pastor of His whole Church. Christ also endowed him with authority. Peter remained faithful till his death.

In the second reading, we hear Paul’s testimony, “I have fought the good fight of faith 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” Of course, he received that crown.

Paul persecuted the church. However, after his encounter with Christ, he became an essential instrument in God’s hand. His greatest weakness automatically became his greatest strength. We learn from Paul that repentance precedes the awareness of our sins, which is a solid incentive to mercy. True repentance, like Peter and Paul’s, restores hope. It helps one to struggle against passions and to grow in virtues.

In today’s gospel, after Peter professed the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Christ, in return, made him the head of the church. It was from this moment that Peter became the first bishop of Rome and Pope. Although Peter was made the first among equals, he remained humble, faithful, and courageously died as others did. So, as we consider and celebrate the outcome of the lives of these two pillars of our faith and church, let us imitate their good examples.

Through their exemplary lives, they teach us that conversion through repentance is a significant Christian step. Through their lives, they also teach us that unless we lay hold of salvation through continuous repentance, we have no hope of it from any other source.

Though it is not easy to achieve all they achieved, let us ask God the same grace which Paul tells us “is sufficient for us” (1 Cor 12:9). This grace will enable us to do our best because we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” (Phil 4, 13). May we all attain to this by the grace of the only begotten Son of God, to whom belongs all glory and honor.

Peace be with you all!

Maranatha!