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Solemnity Peter, Paul ♦ 2025-June-29 ♦ Vigil: John 21:15-19 ♦ Day: Matthew 16:13-18
Homily
for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
Theme: Love,
Leadership, and Humble Service
Today, June 29, we
celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter
and Paul—a feast that reminds us of the strength and frailty, the
boldness and humility, of 2 of our Church’s most important saints. We honor
them both, but this morning I’d like to reflect especially on the apostle Peter:
fisherman, follower,
failure—and forgiven leader of
the early Church.
1. Peter: From Denial to Love
Peter's biography is not one of flawless integrity.
It’s a story of transformation.
We remember that after Jesus was arrested, Peter—afraid and uncertain—denied knowing him 3 x. This triple-play “blow up” was not the end. After the resurrection, Jesus doesn't shame Peter. He doesn't say, “Why did you fail me?” Instead, Jesus asks a simple question:
“Do you love
me?”
And 3 x, Peter
replies, **“Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”**
This is not just a moment of forgiveness. It is a
commissioning. Jesus tells him: “Feed
my sheep.”
What Jesus wants
from Peter—and from each of us—is not perfection, but love. Love that is
honest, humble, and willing to be transformed.
2. Confession and the Courage to Begin Again
Peter’s
reconciliation with Jesus is a powerful image of what we experience in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. Like Peter, we each come to the Lord with our
faults, denials, and regrets.
Confession is not about explaining ourselves perfectly. Peter didn’t have the perfect words. Jesus took the lead.
It begins with love—“Do you love me?”—and leads to healing.
There are times we examine our conscience and ask, “What did I say? What did I do? What did I fail to do?” But the deeper question is:
“Do I
love Jesus, and am I ready to follow Him again?”
Even when we fall short, God invites us to stand up, walk forward, and take part in building the Church—just as Peter did, to be connected to our Savior through knowing his mercy and presence through the sacraments of the Church.
2.1. Intro to Section 3 Example
In the Gospel Jesus proclaims: “You are Peter and
upon this rock, I will build my Church”.
The
Church was built – as families are built – on a common purpose and identity to
recognize we do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Missionaries
– beginning with Peter and Paul and continuing in women and men today – still
teach this purpose and identity. St Paul’s words about himself apply to me:
“woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” which again requires me not to do
everything by my own wisdom and power but to trust in the Holy Spirit working through the
Church.
In
this regard, for example, to pray and to fast are not burdens for me to carry
but actually ways of resting and trusting in God’s work.
Service
in this way is not my own doing but God’s call which requires me not only to be
a worker in the vineyard but also to be like the waiter at the wedding at Cana
who simply fills the water jars and lets Jesus change water into wine.
Priests
do not change water into wine, though family and friends have asked me to do
this countless times. I’m just saying!
Our
service to each other is not based on our own power but our connection to the
Holy Spirit.
Do
you – do I – trust in such connectivity and wisdom?
[pause]
I think we do this naturally and logically – in
every day life – when we encounter and prestige and power in earthly form, in
the material world.
Here
is an example. Consider for example the New York Yankees major league baseball
team in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.
The
Yankees are powerful and prestigious not just in 2025 but for many
years. Arguably, in 1955, they were even more the top dog in New York sports
than today. And, in 1955, my father started working for the Yankees as a high
school student.
3. Example: Our Leadership: Humble, Not Heroic
I cite this and
example of service with humility will also produce connectivity.
When my father was
a high school student in the late 1950s, he had a job as a batboy for the New
York Yankees. No, he wasn’t a player, but he wore the uniform, helped in the
dugout, handed bats to professional baseball players, and occasionally traveled
with the team.
It was an remarkable
experience for a teenager from the Bronx who really had no special connection
to the team prior to this.
One day, while on a trip to Washington, D.C.,
he invited 4 of his friends down. They crammed into his hotel room, and in the
morning, they were starving for breakfast. So what did he do? He said, “Come
with me,” and walked straight into the Yankees’ dining room as though they all
belonged there. He signed them all in—breakfast on the Yankees’ tab! And it
worked.
His friends were
thrilled. The Yankees didn’t even notice.
But here’s the thing: my father had no money of his own.
He didn’t buy the breakfast.
He didn’t earn the breakfast
He just knew someone. He was connected to the team.
This is a small
image of grace.
We don’t feed the
world by our own power. We don’t serve others with our own brilliance. We serve
because we are connected—to Christ. Peter didn't lead the Church because he was
the smartest or the bravest. He led because he was connected to Jesus, who
called him and forgave him. à And so are we.
4.
Pope: Peter’s Successor, Our Servant
That same
connection continues today through the Pope. Whether it’s Pope Francis today,
or Pope Leo XIV whom we pray for at each Mass, the Pope is not a celebrity or a
political figure. He is, like Peter, a servant—called to feed the flock,
protect the Church, and witness to Christ’s mercy.
Popes are not
perfect. Peter certainly wasn’t. But their calling is real. We pray for them
not because they rule us, but because they serve us. And like all leaders in
the Church—priests, bishops, deacons, teachers—they need the grace and the
prayers of the people they serve.
Even
Saint Paul, with his fierce intellect and bold preaching, constantly asked for
prayers from the communities he visited.
5.
Church and State: Partners or Rivals?
Some say religion
should stay out of politics. And yes, our Constitution wisely protects freedom
of religion and prevents the government from establishing any one faith.
But faith must
inform how we live—even in public life.
For centuries, missionaries—often sent by
popes—have served the poor, educated the young, and defended the vulnerable.
Many of them, like the North American Martyrs—Saint Isaac Jogues and his
companions—came not to conquer, but to protect indigenous peoples.
Even today, the
Church is called not to control governments but to witness to truth, justice,
and compassion.
Saint John Henry
Newman once said that the government’s idea of salvation is about immediate
rescue—ambulances, recovery, repairs. And these are good. But the Church’s mission
is deeper: to heal souls, mend broken lives, and restore our relationship with
God.
6.
You Are Called, Too
Peter was an
individual fisherman, and played a role in the larger Church.
Your role—whatever it is—matters in God’s Church.
Whether you’re a parent,
teacher, nurse, student, grandparent, or neighbor—God calls you to feed His
sheep.
To serve others not because you’re perfect or
powerful, but because **you’re connected to Christ.**
And Christ is the one who feeds us, heals us, and
leads us.
7.
Closing: Pray for Unity, Live with Love
So today, as we
honor Peter and Paul, let’s pray:
For our Pope and all Church leaders.
For our parish community, that we may serve one
another with humility.
For the courage to admit our failures and seek
God’s mercy.
And above all, for the love that Christ asks of
each of us:
“Do you love me?”
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