Reading 1
Acts 12:1-11
In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.
He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
–It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.–
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.
On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains,
was sleeping between two soldiers,
while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.
Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
“Get up quickly.”
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”
He did so.
Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
They passed the first guard, then the second,
and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They emerged and made their way down an alley,
and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said,
“Now I know for certain
that the Lord sent his angel
and rescued me from the hand of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”
Reading 2
2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18
I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
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.
And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel
Mt 16:13-19
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.”
Meditation: Matthew 16:13-19
Sts. Peter and Paul
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 16:19)
If Jesus had recruited his apostles the way major corporations recruit their employees, would Peter and Paul have gotten the job?
It’s true that Simon Peter had the qualities of a natural leader. He was a man of action, self-confident and enthusiastic, daring and outgoing. On the other hand, he could be impulsive, imprudent, and erratic. Today’s Gospel is one of Peter’s shining moments: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” he proclaims (Matthew 16:16). But read on! Only six verses later, he expresses such opposition to God’s plans that Jesus calls him not “a rock” but “an obstacle” and even “Satan” (16:22-23).
And was Saul any more promising when the risen Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus? The young man surely stood out for his fervor, learning, and single-minded commitment. But he was using all his talents to destroy the church, even though his former teacher, the respected Rabbi Gamaliel, had urged a wait-and-see approach (Acts 5:34-35; 22:3). But Saul was too zealous to follow such prudent advice. He was dedicated and effective, all right. But the “achievements” on Saul’s résumé fit the job description of a persecutor, not an apostle.
But Jesus never needed a personnel advisor to inform him about which workers to pick. He understood human nature. Jesus could see the capacity for heroic holiness that lies hidden—sometimes very hidden—beneath a person’s exterior strengths and weaknesses. Jesus saw that potential in Peter and Paul and he took a risk: Peter wavered and denied him. And as for Paul, who would have guessed that someone who was so unswervingly headed in one direction could do a complete turnaround? Yet in the end, both men accepted the grace of conversion and became the dedicated apostles Jesus knew they could be.
Jesus sees the potential in each of us as well. Every minute of every day, Jesus is inviting us: Come a little closer. Open yourself to my love and my grace. Let me help you become who you really are! Are we listening?
“Holy Spirit, I am a mystery to myself, but you know me inside and out. Help me to surrender and to follow you today. Lead me to become the person I was created to be.”
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