The solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul is evidence that God is capable of transforming people’s lives. He is willing to forgive us our past and set before us a new journey of life. All He wants from us is to recognize who He is and relate with Him in that manner.
In the today’s gospel Jesus asked His disciples, who do people say the Son of Man is. They mentioned various names and personalities people ascribed to Jesus. But then Jesus put the question direct to the disciples and Peter responded, You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. On this account He made Peter the rock upon which He would build the Church. The first encounter of the imagery of the “rock” in the scripture is found in the Book of Psalms where God is referred to as the “rock” (Ps. 18:3). This is because God is the defence and the strength of those who seek refuge in Him. The people who trust in this God, become in turn a rock for others. Hence Isaiah 51:1-2 says, “Listen to me you who pursue saving justice, you who seek Yahweh! Consider the rock from which you were hewn… consider Abraham your father and Sarah who gave you birth”. This passage invites the people of Israel to remember that Abraham and Sarah, because of their faith in God, became rocks, the beginning of the people of God. Similarly, Mathew 7:24-25 also exhorts the community to have rock as foundation and thus, they themselves can be rock to strengthen their brothers and sisters in their faith. This is the sense of the name which Jesus gave to Peter. And this was the vocation of the community called to be one with God, the Living Rock, so as to become a living rock also(Eph. 2:19-22).
Prayer: Lord God, direct your Church unto the path of your truth that we may be firm in our faith and bring the world to the knowledge of You.