Homily for the Week of June 29, 2014

HOMILY: Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2014

 Day: Acts 12:1-11 • 2 Tm 4:6-8,17-18 • Mt 16:13-19

         Today we celebrate the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, which is always celebrated on June 29. It is a very ancient feast which goes back to the year 250 AD. They are celebrated together because they are two leaders in the early Catholic Church about which we know the most. They also had the greatest influence as to how you and I practice our religion. They were both killed together by the Roman emperor Nero who lighted the fire that burned the city of Rome. He blamed the fire on the Christians.

         In Rome, a place where few tourists go but which is of great interest is the Mamertine Prison at the edge of the Roman Forum. It is thought that the prison was built to serve as a cistern as it was built over a spring around 4 B.C. The prison is deep, considering its creation as cistern, and it was taken over for use as a holding place for prisoners headed for execution. It is described as a horrible dungeon, “repulsive and terrible on account of neglect, dampness and smell.” The significance of this prison is that Peter and Paul were held there prior to their executions.

         Peter was put in jail by King Herod. Herod was a real politician who took advantage of every situation to make people like him. One thing he did was to give the Jewish leadership a lot of influence. In order to please them, he had thrown Peter into prison and would soon kill him by crucifixion like Jesus. But he could not immediately do so because it was the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This is Passover, and no one could be executed during Passover. He was afraid that the Jews would not like him.

         Somehow Peter was helped to escape from jail. He was again caught and placed in jail. This time he  was again caught by Nero. He was killed by crucifixion.

         To celebrate Peter and Paul on the same day can be humorous, since both of them were very different personalities. Peter was shaky in his faith in Jesus, denying that he knew Jesus at one time.  But he also had a strong religious faith.  Paul in his early age had thrown stones at Stephen to kill him, but afterwards started believing in Jesus.  As such he travelled throughout much of the Greek world trying to invite people to know Jesus and then become his follower.

         Paul never saw or knew Jesus personally. He was born in Tarsus which is in present day Turkey.  He spoke Greek and Aramaic and wrote in Greek his 13 letters which are in the Bible. He was a Pharisee who was dedicated to the Jewish.  Because of that he would try to destroy or condemn all those who believed in Jesus.But all that changed when as he was going to Damascus he experienced a strong light and he was told that the person who was calling his name was Jesus. He discovered that Jesus was not he bad man who had been condemning, but but the Lord and Savior of humanity.

         At that time he began to realize that his purpose in life was to teach others about Jesus, and to invite others to follow Jesus. He did this, not to the Jewish people, but to those who were living in what was  known as Asia Minor, the current countries that have been in the news in the last few years because of fighing and wars.

         Peter and Paul both followed Jesus who told them to feed his sheep, the same invitation each of us are given every day.

         Paul wrote more books in the New Testament than any other author.  Most of them are known as letters which he wrote to various communities or persons that he visited such as Corinth and Ephesus.

         Paul probably wrote the 2nd letter to Timothy during the reign of Nero. Imprisoned twice, Paul first was under house arrest, a privilege given to prisoners of high status. In 2 Timothy, however, Paul was in a dungeon, possibly the cistern I already mentioned.

         Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy was his last as he was executed shortly after writing it. Referring to his death, Paul’s word choice is interesting. He speaks of the departure of a sailor shoving off for home at the end of war or that of a soldier breaking camp to go home after battle. Paul saw himself going home after waging war for Christ against evil. Paul also says he has “kept the faith,” meaning that he has stayed loyal unto death, and that he “finished the race,” meaning that he has done everything asked of him and, now, all is in God’s hands. There is nothing more Paul can do except trust in God.

         Perhaps one of the most remembered passages written by St.Paul is in his letter to the Corinthians when talks about love. In that letter Paul wrote that love is kind, love is patient, love is not jealous, it is not pompous, that love never fails.

Peter and Paul gave witness to the Faith. Neither of them ever doubted who Jesus was. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, he gave Paul the keys to understanding. Their preaching landed them both in prison and led to their deaths.