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Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-20
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
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.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There’s an old saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
I think of my own journey, which has led me to priesthood and, thankfully, here to St. Pius X.
Nearly a decade ago, I stepped into Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where I was ordained a deacon. There I made three promises: prayer, celibacy, and obedience to my bishop, promises which I reaffirmed at my priestly ordination a few months later.
Ordination was single step – a critical step – in my ongoing journey of a thousand miles.
***
In today’s Gospel, Peter takes a dramatic step in his own journey. After professing his faith, Jesus says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
This becomes the greatest honor – and responsibility – of Peter’s life. After the Lord’s death and resurrection, Peter will lead the Church on earth.
A herculean task if you consider where it all began.
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Peter first met Jesus on the shores of Galilee. He was an ordinary fisherman, who dropped his nets, left his family, and his own plans behind, drawn by two simple words:
“Follow me.”
Jesus didn’t appeal to Peter’s mind, which too often got in his way, but to his feet: “Follow me.”
***
Sometime thereafter, Peter found himself without Jesus as he drifted in the night on the same stormy Sea of Galilee.
Suddenly, Jesus appeared to him, walking on the water. He invites Peter to do the same. All Peter needs are his feet, not his head.
But the second Peter starts to rationalize what is happening, he sinks. “O, you of little faith,” Jesus says, “why did you doubt?”
***
Later, at the Last Supper, Jesus kneels down to wash those same sacred feet. It becomes a type of ordination, reminding Peter of the responsibility that will come with the keys the Lord has placed in his hands.
***
So, after Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter begins leading the Church here on earth, until the year 64 AD, when the crazed emperor, Nero, begins burning Rome to the ground, blaming Christians for the destruction.
Tradition tells us that, fearing for his own life, Peter flees the city. Near the city gates, Jesus appears to him – as he once did to other disciples on the Road to Emmaus – asking him, Quo Vadis? … “Where are you going?”
Resolved not to deny his Lord again, Peter’s feet turned his body around, leading him back into the burning city, ready to embrace his destiny.
Some of us have reached a similar point in our own spiritual life. Maybe we made a mistake or two, or we drifted away from practicing our faith. But the moment came when we resolved like Peter, not to deny the Lord again.
There’s a church marking that spot where Peter used his feet to face his future. I’ve prayed there a few times.
***
Shortly thereafter, Peter was captured and condemned to death by crucifixion.
Feeling unworthy of dying like his Lord, Peter asked his executioners for one final request: to turn him upside down.
There, in the heart of Rome, in the center of worldly power, Peter finally saw the world like his Master – topsy turvy, upside down, right-side up.
Those feet that once accepted the Lord’s call to: “Come, follow me,” were prepared to take their final step.
Those same feet that sank fearfully into the Sea of Galilee, were now turned upward in hope, pointing to where his heart belonged – the heavens.
There, on that awkward, quickly assembled cross, Peter preached his final sermon not with words, but with his life.
His journey of a thousand miles came to its faithful conclusion. He fought the good fight, he ran the race to the finish, he kept the faith.
***
Where am I on my own journey of faith?
Am I standing hesitantly on the shores of Galilee waiting to drop my nets? Am I sinking fearfully into turbulent waters? Or have I resolved to follow Jesus at any cost, even if that means returning to flames engulfing Rome, as it were?
***
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Here, we journey together. Step by step. Day by day.
Like Peter, may we all learn to follow the Lord … feet first.
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Image credits: (1) (2) Giovanni Bonatti, Saint Peter, Dundee Art Galleries (3) FirstCry Parenting
