13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Monday, 30 June 2025 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the love and compassion which the Lord has shown to us all, His faithful and beloved people. We are reminded of the generous mercy and kindness which He has shown all of us, by His constant efforts in forgiving us all from our sins and in being patient with us despite us having frequently and constantly disobeyed Him from time to time again. He has even sent us His only Begotten Son to our midst so that by His coming into this world, He may become for us all the source of salvation and hope, and lead us all to Himself once again, reconciling us sinners with Him and allowing us all to find our way back to Him, our loving God and Father.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis the account of the conversation between Abraham and God when he found out about God’s plan to bring about the destruction of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for the great sins and wickedness which they had committed before the Lord, and for their stubbornness in remaining in such sins and wickedness. But Abraham also knew and was aware that his own nephew, Lot and his family dwelled in the lands of Sodom and Gomorrah, and hence, should God bring about destruction to Sodom and Gomorrah, it might have led to harm to Lot and his family too, as with any other righteous people who might be found there in those two places as well. Hence, Abraham went on a series of conversations and requests to the Lord, asking Him to show mercy and withhold His destruction should there be some of those who were righteous in those two places.

God then repeatedly answered and reassured Abraham as he kept on asking about the fate and well-being of those righteous who might be found in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, that for his sake and his faith in Him, He would not punish and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah should there be any of the righteous remaining in those places, as he has asked of Him. However, as we ought to know that there was only so few of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah, essentially only Lot and his own immediate family, that not even what Abraham had asked of the Lord could be done. In the end, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone from Heaven, but not before the Lord sent His Angels to help rescue Lot and his family to safety.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was asked by a teacher of the Law who told Him that he would follow Him wherever He would go, and the Lord told this teacher of the Law that following Him would mean moving from place to place, having no stable and steady place for him and anyone else following Him to stay at, and that commitment to follow Him often required them, that is His disciples to dedicate themselves, their time and effort to follow Him and do the works that He has entrusted them to do. And therefore, that was why the Lord asked for commitment from those who have asked Him to be His followers, as if they were still divided and unsure about what they wanted, it would be difficult for them to be truly His disciples and followers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, first of all, we have to understand this from the context of what the disciples of the Lord did at that time, as the teacher of the Law asked of the Lord, his intentions was quite clear that he wanted to be like those members of the Twelve, the disciples that were always around the Lord and always helped Him to carry out His missions and works. And such missions and works would require one to be thoroughly committed to the cause, and hence, it was imperative that those who wanted to follow the Lord in this manner ought to be truly committed and not be divided in their attention and thoughts. This is essentially what those who have committed themselves to the calling to priesthood and religious life in our Church today have also done as well.

In another occasion, the Lord also told His disciples and those who followed Him, that none of those who have devoted themselves to Him, their effort and time, and all of their works would be ignored and abandoned by the Lord. In fact, the Lord knows all that they have done for Him and hence, if we are truly faithful to the Lord, in the end, we will be vindicated and will be triumphant with Him. There is nothing that the Lord does not know, and as long as we continue to do our best to entrust ourselves to Him and to fully have faith in Him regardless of the challenges and trials that we may encounter, then in the end, we will find true joy and satisfaction in the Lord, our most loving and faithful God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. This feast, which is celebrated on the day after the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Holy Apostles and Patron Saints of Rome, has a special significance for the Church in Rome, referring to the Diocese of Rome, of which our Pope is the bishop of, and as the leader of the whole entire Church and particularly as part of the Roman Rite, we have this special connection with the Church of Rome and its bishop, as well as its past and history, in which today we recall the memory of all those who have been martyred together with the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, during the first great persecution of Christians in Rome.

At that time, the Christian Church has been growing and flourishing in Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero after Christian missionaries have reached the capital of the Roman Empire during their missions, and the arrival of St. Peter the Apostle and St. Paul the Apostle no doubt strengthened those missionary efforts, with St. Peter having become the first Bishop of Rome and thus the leader of the local Church on top of his responsibilities as the head of the whole Universal Church, while St. Paul in his great missionary zeal and efforts to proclaim the faith and the Good News to the people, especially to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people. However, as the number of Christians continued to grow, it began to lead to frictions with the traditional Roman pagan beliefs and traditions.

And at the time, the Emperor Nero, who was infamous for his lack of morality and his megalomaniac behaviour, began to come into friction with different segments of the Roman state and governance, which eventually would lead to his downfall and overthrow in the Year 68 AD. However, about four years prior to this event, Emperor Nero instigated a great fire in Rome, which many historical evidences pointed out to him being the mastermind behind the events. And he blamed the fire on the Christian populations in Rome, which had already been poorly regarded by the people of Rome, as scapegoats so that the Emperor could get away with his wicked ideas and plans. As a result, many of the Roman Christians were martyred, and it is their memory whom we remember today.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we remember the great faith and courage which the first martyrs of the Church of Rome has shown amidst the great trials and challenges facing them, let us all be inspired by their examples so that we ourselves may continue to serve the Lord faithfully at all times, dedicating ourselves to His cause to the best of our abilities. May the Lord be with us always and may He encourage us all to be ever strong in out commitment to walk courageously in the path that He has shown us, and bless our every good efforts and works. Amen.

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Monday, 30 June 2025 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 8 : 18-22

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowd pressing around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. A teacher of the Law approached Him; and said, “Master, I will follow You wherever You go.”

Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, let me go and bury my father first.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

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Monday, 30 June 2025 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His Holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger; He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever.

He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve. As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him.

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Monday, 30 June 2025 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Genesis 18 : 16-33

The men went away and turned towards Sodom. Abraham walked with them to set them on their way. And YHVH said, “Can I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham, in fact, is going to become a great and powerful nation and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed, for I have chosen him to command his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that YHVH may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.”

Then YHVH said, “How great is the cry for justice against Sodom and Gomorrah! And how grievous is their sin! I am going down to see if they have done all that they are charged with in the outcry that has reached Me. If it is not so, I will know.” The men with Him turned away and went towards Sodom, but YHVH remained standing before Abraham.

Abraham went forward and said, “Will You really let the just perish with the wicked? Perhaps there are fifty good people in the town. Are You really going to let them perish? Would You not spare the place for the sake of these fifty righteous people? It would not be at all like You to do such a thing and You cannot let the good perish with the wicked, nor treat the good and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth be just?” YHVH said, “If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Abraham spoke up again, “I know that I am very bold to speak like this to my Lord, I who am only dust and ashes! But perhaps the number of the good is five less than fifty. Will You destroy the town because of the five?” YHVH replied, “I will not destroy the town if I find forty-five good people there.” Again Abraham said to him, “Perhaps there will be only forty.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”

Abraham went on, saying, “May my Lord not be angry, but let me speak. Maybe only thirty good people will be found in the town.” YHVH answered, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to my Lord, what if only twenty can be found?” He said, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy the place.”

But Abraham insisted, “May my Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found?” And YHVH answered, “For the sake of ten good people, I will not destroy Sodom.” When YHVH had finished speaking with Abraham, He left and Abraham went home.

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us celebrate together the occasion of the great Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, the two great pillars of the Church, as two of the most important Apostles in the Church, with St. Peter the Apostle being the leader of all the Apostles, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, the chief servant of God as the one to whom the Lord had entrusted His Church, as the ‘Rock’ of faith upon which the Church had been founded upon. St. Peter the Apostle as the first Pope and Vicar of Christ led the whole entire Church in communion and together with all the whole body of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, together with the whole entire Church, and he was called from his work as Simon the fisherman at the lake of Galilee to be a fisher of man in gathering all of God’s people to Himself.

Meanwhile, St. Paul the Apostle was once known as Saul, a young Pharisee who was very impulsive and zealous in pursuing the ideals and goals of the Pharisees and their version of the Jewish customs, faith and tradition, and was initially very militant in his efforts to attempt to root out the early Christian Church and faith, persecuting and arresting many of the disciples of the Lord. However, God had a different plan for Saul, whom he called on the way to Damascus in attempting to arrest more of the disciples and followers of the Lord. Saul was touched by the Lord and he had a life-changing experience, choosing to follow the Lord henceforth and becoming one of His greatest disciples and defenders, becoming Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles, for his courageous efforts in mission to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people.

And this Sunday’s celebration particularly has a very great importance for all of us as we belong to the Roman Catholic Church and as part of the Roman Rite of the Church, with our Pope, Pope Leo XIV as the Successor of St. Peter as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole entire Church being also the Bishop of Rome, as the Ordinary of the Diocese of Rome, which was during the time of the Lord and His Apostles, the heart and centre of the then mighty Roman Empire. And it was in Rome that both St. Peter and St. Paul went to minister to the people of God and proclaim the Good News of the Lord to those who had not yet believed in God and known Him, and they were both eventually martyred there in Rome. Hence, that is why both St. Peter and St. Paul are celebrated this Sunday with this Solemnity as the Patron Saints of Rome, the seat of our Pope.

Then, as we all reflect upon the Scripture readings this Sunday, we are reminded of the great wonders and things which the Lord had done through St. Peter the Apostle and the other Apostles and disciples, who were merely ordinary men, and yet, they had been given great power and authority, with His guidance and providence as we heard from our first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles. In that occasion, we heard of the persecution which King Herod of Galilee carried out against the early Christians including the Apostles, whom he arrested, including that of St. Peter himself, with the intention of persecuting him to please the members of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and the Sadducees in order to gain their favour and support.

But the Lord was with St. Peter and the other disciples, and He sent His Angel to them to their prison, miraculously freeing them from their shackles and their bonds so that they could continue to carry out their mission, which St. Peter and the other disciples carried out most fervently and faithfully, encouraging the other disciples by the testimony of their faith and that of God’s assurance and providence, as the faithful themselves witnessed how the Lord was with St. Peter and those who had been arrested, freeing them miraculously from the shackles of those who had incarcerated them. Through this and many other miraculous occasions, St. Peter and the other disciples of the Lord continued to labour tirelessly for the Lord and His Church.

In our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy, St. Paul the Apostle sent a message of encouragement to his protege, St. Timothy, whom he had set and prepared as a leader and elder of the early Church, that despite all the hardships and trials that he had to face and endure as a servant of God, but the Lord was always with him and all the other missionaries and therefore, St. Timothy and the other members of the faithful should not be afraid to continue carrying out the missions and works which had been entrusted to them. With the Lord by their side, as how He had guided St. Paul in his ministry, they would all surely do great and wonderful things for the greater glory of God and in proclaiming His truth and Good News to many more people.

Then finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus asking His disciples on who they thought He was, and they all spoke of what they had heard and what was commonly believed at the time, that Jesus was a Man of God, a Prophet and Teacher that the Lord had sent, but it was only St. Peter, then known as Simon, who had the courage and faith to speak the full truth, that the Lord Jesus was truly the Messiah or the Saviour, which had been promised, and also the Son of God Most High, not merely like any other Prophets and Teachers that the Lord had sent to His people. For this, the Lord bestowed upon Simon the new name of Peter, which means ‘Rock’ knowing that in St. Peter lies a truly strong and enduring faith that would become a steady Rock and Foundation of His Church.

Through what the Lord had told to St. Peter in our Gospel passage today, He clearly established His Church in this world, the Body of all the faithful united in communion with the Apostles and especially to St. Peter and his successors, to the Lord Who is the true Head of the Church. To St. Peter and his successors, the Lord had entrusted the authority and power to govern, guide and strengthen the whole Church, over all the faithful, giving them the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. By this action, He established the Church as we all know it today, which still remain strong even after two millennia, against all the threats and challenges that it had faced, fulfilling what the Lord Himself had said, that not even the gates of hell would prevail against it. St. Peter would go on to Rome, and establish that line of Popes which lasts till today, until Pope Leo XIV, our current Pope, and together with St. Paul, St. Peter would be martyred in that city, the heart of the Roman Empire then.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard in our Scripture readings today and in all that we have just discussed, the Lord called both St. Peter and St. Paul from their ordinary and even most unlikely origins, the former being a mere illiterate and brash fisherman from the Lake of Galilee, who had even denied the Lord three times in times of distress, while the latter was an overzealous young Pharisee who persecuted the Church in the beginning. And yet, the Lord transformed them from their ordinary and unlikely origins and beginnings to be His great servants, to do many of His great works and perform many great wonders and miracles, touching the lives of so many people that they had encountered in their missions and journeys.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we rejoice greatly in this Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, in honour of these two great saints and servants of God, let us all realise that the Lord has also been calling on each and every one of us to follow in their footsteps as well, and to do our very best in our lives so that by our commitment and good works, by our dedication and faith, our every actions, words and deeds, we will always glorify the Lord at all times and be active parts of the labours of His Church. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us all in faith, in our love for Him, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 16 : 13-19

At that time, Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They said, “For some of them, You are John the Baptist; for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven.”

“And now I say to you : You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build My Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven : whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Timothy 4 : 6-8, 17-18

As for me, I am already poured out as a libation, and the moment of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the just Judge, will reward me, on that day, and not only me, but all those who have longed for His glorious coming.

But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength, to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will save me from all evil, bringing me to His heavenly kingdom. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen!

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

I will praise YHVH all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in YHVH; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

Oh, let us magnify YHVH; together, let us glorify His Name! I sought YHVH, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, YHVH hears and saves them from distress.

YHVH’s Angel encamps and patrols, to keep safe those who fear Him. Oh, see and taste the goodness of YHVH! Blessed is the one who finds shelter in Him!

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 12 : 1-11

About that time king Herod decided to persecute some members of the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword, and when he saw how it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

This happened during the Festival of the Unleavened Bread. Herod had him seized and thrown into prison with four squads, each of four soldiers, to guard him. He wanted to bring him to trial before the people after the Passover feast, but while Peter was kept in prison, the whole Church prayed earnestly for him.

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound by a double chain, while guards kept watch at the gate of the prison. Suddenly, an Angel of the Lord stood there and a light shone in the prison cell. The Angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him saying, “Get up quickly!”

At once, the chains fell from Peter’s wrists. The Angel said, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” Peter did so; and the Angel added, “Now, put on your cloak and follow me.” Peter followed him out; yet he did not realise that what was happening with the Angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

They passed the first guard, and then the second, and they came to the iron door leading out to the city, which opened by itself for them. They went out and made their way down a narrow alley, when suddenly the Angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, “Now I know that the Lord has sent His Angel and has rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from all that the Jews had in store for me.”

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us celebrate together the occasion of the great Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, the two great pillars of the Church, as two of the most important Apostles in the Church, with St. Peter the Apostle being the leader of all the Apostles, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, the chief servant of God as the one to whom the Lord had entrusted His Church, as the ‘Rock’ of faith upon which the Church had been founded upon. St. Peter the Apostle as the first Pope and Vicar of Christ led the whole entire Church in communion and together with all the whole body of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, together with the whole entire Church, and he was called from his work as Simon the fisherman at the lake of Galilee to be a fisher of man in gathering all of God’s people to Himself.

Meanwhile, St. Paul the Apostle was once known as Saul, a young Pharisee who was very impulsive and zealous in pursuing the ideals and goals of the Pharisees and their version of the Jewish customs, faith and tradition, and was initially very militant in his efforts to attempt to root out the early Christian Church and faith, persecuting and arresting many of the disciples of the Lord. However, God had a different plan for Saul, whom he called on the way to Damascus in attempting to arrest more of the disciples and followers of the Lord. Saul was touched by the Lord and he had a life-changing experience, choosing to follow the Lord henceforth and becoming one of His greatest disciples and defenders, becoming Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles, for his courageous efforts in mission to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people.

And this Sunday’s celebration particularly has a very great importance for all of us as we belong to the Roman Catholic Church and as part of the Roman Rite of the Church, with our Pope, Pope Leo XIV as the Successor of St. Peter as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole entire Church being also the Bishop of Rome, as the Ordinary of the Diocese of Rome, which was during the time of the Lord and His Apostles, the heart and centre of the then mighty Roman Empire. And it was in Rome that both St. Peter and St. Paul went to minister to the people of God and proclaim the Good News of the Lord to those who had not yet believed in God and known Him, and they were both eventually martyred there in Rome. Hence, that is why both St. Peter and St. Paul are celebrated this Sunday with this Solemnity as the Patron Saints of Rome, the seat of our Pope.

Then, as we all reflect upon the Scripture readings this Sunday, we are reminded of the great wonders and things which the Lord had done through St. Peter the Apostle and the other Apostles and disciples, who were merely ordinary men, and yet, they had been given great power and authority, just as we heard in our first reading this Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles. In that occasion we heard how St. Peter and St. John were both at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem and they encountered a man who had been afflicted with paralysis since his birth, and seeing his sufferings and predicament, they told him that they had nothing to give him, not money or help in that manner, but they were giving him an even greater gift, the gift of salvation and healing in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all.

This happened shortly after the Lord had risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven, and after the Holy Spirit had come upon all the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, the whole Church of God. The once fearful and timid Apostles and disciples began going forth most courageously and fearlessly in proclaiming the Good News of God, despite their earlier fears and uncertainties over the threats from the Pharisees and the other members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, which had threatened action and gave pressure against all those who proclaimed and taught in the Name of the Lord Jesus, or spoke of His Resurrection and truths. However, as we heard in our first reading this Sunday, St. Peter and St. John fearlessly and courageously invoked the Name of the Lord as they healed the man from his affliction.

Then, as we heard from our second reading this Sunday, as was mentioned earlier on, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Galatia, St. Paul the Apostle spoke of his past experiences of persecuting the early Christian communities and how he had been young, impulsive and misguided by wrong upbringing and mistaken perspective as a Pharisee. But God rescued him out of that situation and predicament, and through His guidance, help and strength, what was a great enemy of the Church turned into one of the Church’s greatest champions and defenders, making great use of his talents, energy and enthusiasm for the greater glory of God and for spreading the Good News of God instead of persecuting the Church wrongly as he had done earlier on.

St. Paul received the baptism and was welcomed into the Church, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and was instructed in the faith by the Apostles themselves, the members of the Twelve whom St. Paul mentioned meeting, and despite not being member of the Lord’s disciples when the Lord was still around in the world, he received the same truth that the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord had themselves received and preserved, by the sharing of the experiences and truths which the Lord’s disciples and followers had experienced firsthand. And from this exchange, St. Paul was strengthened through the Holy Spirit to go forth to the many places where he ministered to many of the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people throughout his many missionary journeys, that he became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, the one spearheading the rapid expansion of the Church beyond its homeland in Judea and Jerusalem.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday Vigil Mass, we also heard the account from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle andLuke the Evangelist where the exchange between the Risen Lord Jesus and St. Peter the Apostle in Galilee was highlighted to us, where the Lord Jesus asked St. Peter not just once but three times, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’, and the significance of these questions must be understood from the context of what happened before between them during the time of the Lord’s Passion, the moment when He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and persecuted. It was at that time, as we all should know that the Lord was also abandoned by all of His disciples, and St. Peter, who earlier on had declared that he would even die for Him, denied knowing Him when confronted by the people, not just once but three times.

Therefore, when the Risen Lord asked St. Peter not just once, but three times whether he loved Him, this was a very powerful symbol and reminder for St. Peter that the Lord has truly forgiven him and everything he had done in denying Him earlier on. The Lord’s love and compassion are truly boundless, and St. Peter, whose love and commitment to the Lord was also truly real and strong, devoted and committed himself totally to the Lord from then onwards. It was this great faith which the Lord saw and knew to be present in St. Peter, and which was why He chose him to be the leader of all of His Apostles and disciples in the first place, to be His Vicar and the first Pope. The Lord entrusted His Church and His entire flock of the faithful to St. Peter and the other Apostles, to be the ones to take care of them and to represent Him in this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard in our Scripture readings today and in all that we have just discussed, the Lord called both St. Peter and St. Paul from their ordinary and even most unlikely origins, the former being a mere illiterate and brash fisherman from the Lake of Galilee, who had even denied the Lord three times in times of distress, while the latter was an overzealous young Pharisee who persecuted the Church in the beginning. And yet, the Lord transformed them from their ordinary and unlikely origins and beginnings to be His great servants, to do many of His great works and perform many great wonders and miracles, touching the lives of so many people that they had encountered in their missions and journeys.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we rejoice greatly in this Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, in honour of these two great saints and servants of God, let us all realise that the Lord has also been calling on each and every one of us to follow in their footsteps as well, and to do our very best in our lives so that by our commitment and good works, by our dedication and faith, our every actions, words and deeds, we will always glorify the Lord at all times and be active parts of the labours of His Church. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us all in faith, in our love for Him, now and forevermore. Amen.