by Father James Rodriguez
This Sunday, we observe the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul. This week has been full of celebration, from Corpus Christi last Sunday, to the Nativity of John the Baptist on Tuesday, the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday and yesterday’s memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Also, we were privileged to witness the ordination of a whole class of new priests for Brooklyn and Queens!
As we catch our breath from such festivity, we may be tempted to ask: Why isn’t everyone Catholic? SS. Peter and Paul wondered the same thing and tirelessly gave their lives to help make that question obsolete.
Today, our first reading recounts St. James’ brutal martyrdom and St. Peter’s miraculous escape from prison, but between the two there is a curious calendar note: “It was the feast of unleavened bread” (Acts 12: 3b). These same men heard our Lord say, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
Imitated the Lord
It is no coincidence that they would see themselves as that wheat – ground by persecution, made into bread through faithful witness and transformed by the Holy Spirit into a life-giving example. By their lives and deaths, they imitated the Lord, giving us a heroic model to follow.
Though St. Peter escaped death in this particular instance, he eventually did glorify the Lord by shedding his blood. Like him, St. Paul saw himself “poured out like a libation” (2 Tim 4:6). Paul saw his life as a race, with heaven as the finish line and the Lord as both companion and goal. He, like Peter, saw the saving hand of God who “will rescue those who fear him” (Ps 34). For both of these men, giving everything – even their own lives – came out of their friendship with Christ Jesus, which is another way of saying that they were priests.
When a man consciously gives his life to God as a priest, and lies prostrate at his ordination Mass, he is overwhelmed with relief, purest joy, ineffable gratitude and the exhilaration that comes from embarking on such an adventure. We priests are apostles who are sent out into the world to share what has been entrusted to us. Likewise, we are martyrs, who are called to be visible witnesses in the world, to stand against the tide of decadent trends in our culture and embody the joy of the Gospel that is worth any cost.
With our lives, we answer the question posed in today’s Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). As leader and believer, St. Peter responded also, proclaiming that truth hitherto unspoken: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What would you have said?
For too many, Jesus is a mere historical figure, yet the fact remains: Either He is God, or He is not. If not, then He is not only a liar but, as Paul asserts, “your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17). To the contrary, if Jesus is Who He says He is, we had better be ready when He asks us the same terrifying question.
In my work over the past year as associate vocation director, I have tried to encourage young men across our diocese to listen for the Voice that asks each of us to choose sides and declare an answer. On June 30, my formal assignment as diocesan vocation director takes effect, and I ask that you, dear reader, please pray for me. Pray that God might use me to help more young men answer this question by asking Him: “Who do You say that I am? What am I supposed to be? I think I know what I want, but what do You want?”
Never Stops Seeking
As a teenager, sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament at my home parish and high school, I often looked at the Lord in wonder. I still ask those same questions because our Lord is never done seeking, challenging and encouraging those hearts like mine that try, however imperfectly, to trust Him.
It has been said that every priest is a vocation director, which is true, but I think we can go even one step further: Every parent is a vocation director. Fathers in particular, be they spiritual or biological, have a distinct power and responsibility to tell our children what we see in them, to take every opportunity to say, “You have what it takes! You can be great!”
May we answer the question of the Son and the call of our Father, and pray ardently for our new fathers, ordained only yesterday. May they, through word and example, continue to respond generously to our Lord’s call and help us to do the same.
Readings for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul
Apostles Acts 12: 1-11
Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16: 13-19
Father James Rodriguez is the diocesan vocation director and teaches theology at Cathedral Prep and Seminary, Elmhurst.