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Gospel Reading for June 29, 2024 – Matthew 16: 13-19
DO OUR PART
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
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Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The former, the rock upon which Jesus built his Church and to whom he gave the keys of the Kingdom of God, and the latter who used to be a persecutor of Christians but converted to Christianity and became a leader in the early Church. So, why are the 2 put together in a celebration? Did they do evangelization together? Did they die together? Whatever is said about them, what is most important is that they are very prominent figures in the life of the early Church. Peter had to take care of the early Christians and institutionalized the Church, while Paul took care of the Gentiles and was actively concerned in the formation of Christian communities. As a matter of fact, many of the epistles come from Paul.
We too, are called by God to DO OUR PART in building his Church, his Kingdom on earth. Sharing the Gospel is not just for priests, the religious and catechists. By virtue of our Baptism, it is our duty to be sharers of the Gospel, in word and in deed.
Lord, make us your instruments in your mission of salvation!
