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The two holiest cities in Christianity are Jerusalem, where Jesus rose from the dead, and Rome, the home of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
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Walking into Saint Peter’s for the very first time steals your breath.
The sheer size and colors are overwhelming.
At nearly every turn, you find walls covered in centuries-old mosaics depicting the lives of Jesus, Mary, and the Saints; massive marble pillars; and natural light beaming through the church’s many windows.
The main altar is located at the very center, where only the pope celebrates Mass.
Hundreds of feet above that altar is the dome of Saint Peter’s. Wrapped around the inside of that dome, standing six feet high in golden letters, are the words from today’s Gospel:
“You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”
It’s a dramatic expression of our faith.
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I was ordained a deacon in Saint Peter’s in 2014, just a stone’s throw beneath that promise.
As a final act of faith before being ordained, I laid prostrate on the ground, my forehead pressed against the cold marble floor.
Beneath me lay the bones of Saint Peter, the man upon whom Jesus promised to build his Church.
A man whom I identify with deeply. A man whom we should all aspire to follow.
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Peter was a truly dynamic character.
At times he was bold and zealous, a man of great faith. At others, he was terribly afraid. The same Peter who is the rock of our Church sank into the stormy waters on the Sea of Galilee.
The same Peter who professed his faith in Jesus today later denies knowing him in the Lord’s greatest hour of need.
Both phrases, “You are the Son of God,” and, “I do not know him,” came from Peter’s mouth.
He stumbled in his faith. He fell repeatedly. He sank.
But, eventually, Peter crossed the finish line. In the words of Saint Paul, he, “ran the race to the finish and kept the faith.”
Not perfectly. But he did his best.
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Like Jesus, Peter died nailed to a cross.
There was only one difference.
Feeling unworthy of dying like his Master, Peter asked to be turned upside down.
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There, in the heart of Rome – in the center of worldly power – Peter preached his final sermon from that awkward, quickly assembled cross.
Not with words, but with his life.
He testified to a God who reveals his power through gentleness, not with force; who came to serve, not to be served; who loves his enemies; who gave his life as a ransom for many.
Peter scoffed at the powers that be, showing everyone who gazed upon him how deeply he believed in eternal life.
And how little he valued the things of this world.
It may have taken his whole life, but Peter finally understood the head-over-heels message of his Master, who turned his life, his values, his doubts, his security, topsy-turvy, upside down, right side up, thirty-five years earlier on the shores of Galilee.
A journey that began with two simple words:
“Follow me.”
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These are the same two words the Lord has spoken to us: “Follow me.”
As we do, slowly we begin to see the world like Peter, upside down, right side up.
Our heads well grounded – humbled; feet pointed toward heaven, eyes viewing the world from a different perspective; earthly logic upended; hands useless; efforts to save ourselves futile.
Ready to run the race of life to the finish and keep the faith.
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So, like Peter, how has my faith turned my life upside down? Or, better said, right side up?
How has it changed my understanding of God, this world, and the people in it?
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It’s led me to promise a life of prayer, celibacy, and obedience to the Lord and his Church.
Maybe faith has led you down the difficult, but freeing, path of forgiveness. Maybe it’s strengthened you in your marriage; led you to sobriety; inspired you to take up a career in service; or just put extra pep in your step.
That’s what faith is meant to do.
It’s meant to uplift us, to turn us upside down, right side up.
To lead us to life eternal.
Saint Peter, pray for us.
