Simon Peter said in reply,"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:16


The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. 2Timothy4:17

We have the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul today. The one whom God chose to reveal who Jesus is. He was given the honor of getting the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Where we have been given the legacy of those keys being passed down to each person who succeeds the other. Peter was the first to be given these keys. In his generosity he has given them to the next worthy person. With prayers of Divine guidance as their journey unfolds.

And Paul the one whom God called to conversion, gives us his proclamation. His was a tremendous conversion of the heart, mind and soul. His was an instantaneous conversion, not one that is done with progression of time. His conversion gave us a faith and love that shows us the power of God's love. It is often the desire of many to have this type of conversion. One that removes all, and stirs us on to give glory for God's kingdom.

I'm often reminded of the times I too denied my Lord, just as Peter did, and I am reminded of God's calling of my heart to his as he did with Paul. Do we think upon these great saints and think how our life would be like if God did intervene in it as he did with them. What would we be doing differently? How would we be acting and speaking with others. What do we see as a change in our lives, like Saul was changed and then became Paul, for God's witness.

 

Jesus said to his disciples:"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces."Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets."Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few." Matthew 7: 6, 12-14

The gate is very narrow indeed, and so is the road that is traveled. It is a very hard road to be on, because one little slip can put you on the wide path that seems so very easy to travel. Jesus gives us so many parables and examples to live by, so the road we choose to walk will be easier to travel. He wants us to choose the narrow road, because it's the one that leads to him and to the Father, which is life itself.

Choosing the narrow road means watching all that you say and do. It means following the will of God. There is joy in this path. Granted there may be a few hairy moments, but that is part of the walk. Nothing is easy, and if it is what path are you on? Is God the first and last thought, is he your goal?

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

I am the hypocrite, I have a beam in my eye that has yet to be taken out, and I sit in judgement of others and their sins. I follow the Word of God and I poke my finger in your face and say fix yourself. Am I any better than those around me, no. It's like when someone sees my errors and tries to help by suggesting how to go about my life. Do I listen? As much as possible. I want that huge beam in my eye gone. So I give this another thought.

Why is it brought to light the sins of those who serve the Lord? For what purpose and by whose hand has it come to light. Has the Holy Spirit brought the evilness to light to cleanse and make known what has been broken in order to mend it. The Commandments are for all who live. There are many who serve the Church as Lay people, who commit acts against God's commandments too. Jesus came to save us from ourselves. After all aren't we the one's who lie to ourselves the most, with the thought that no one will know the truth. None of us are perfect, we lie so much it's second nature. Who are we trying to protect ourselves from? Our neighbor, for fear that they will judge us for our sins. I went through this myself, fear of being judged by others because of my sins, when the one I need to worry about is God's wrath and no one elses. It's so easy to lie to ourselves to cover our own misdeeds. If it happened to me it happens to many out there. So I always point the finger in my direction first in order to yank out the plank within my own eye. Never to judge another. God Bless

They woke him and said to him,"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" Mark 4:38-40

Good question Jesus asked the apostles in the boat. Just as he asks us the same question, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?"

We are not in a boat filling up with water, but we live in a life that is filling us up with other stuff. When things go wrong, we too cry out, do you not care that we are perishing. I've heard many say this, is Jesus sleeping? Is that why our lives are in turmoil. It is then we should recall this reading, but not many know this reading, either.

I always seem to think that Jesus is with the apostles, but not sleeping but watching them from lowered lids. And in his divine way allowed the storm to happen in order to test them. To see how strong or weak their faith is.

When we go through our own tumultuous storms and let faith guide us, we can actually say the storm quieted and became still. It subsided faster than it would have without any faith. When we think back on those times in our lives, the ones that we handed over to God and the one's we stubbornly clung to, we soon see the difference.

If our boat tends to fill up with water and we think we are about to sink just have faith in Jesus, because he is not sleeping but watching from lowered lids, taking care of us even then.