DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 29, 2010
SOLEMNITY, STS. PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES
TUESDAY 13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

ACTS 12:1-11
It was about this time that King Herod started persecuting certain
members of the church. He had James the brother of John beheaded, and
when he saw that this pleased the Jews he went on to arrest Peter as
well. As it was during the days of Unleavened Bread that he had
arrested him, he put him in prison, assigning four sections of four
soldiers each to guard him, meaning to try him in public after the
Passover. All the time Peter was under guard the church prayed to God
for him unremittingly. On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter
was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, while
guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly an
angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He
tapped Peter on the side and woke him. 'Get up!' he said, 'Hurry!' --
and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, 'Put on your
belt and sandals.' After he had done this, the angel next said, 'Wrap
your cloak round you and follow me.' He followed him out, but had no
idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought
he was seeing a vision. They passed through the first guard post and
then the second and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This
opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the
whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was
only then that Peter came to himself. And he said, 'Now I know it is
all true. The Lord really did send his angel and save me from Herod
and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.'

SECOND TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 17-18
As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the
time has come for me to depart. I have fought the good fight to the
end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all
there is to come for me now is the crown of uprightness which the
Lord, the upright judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to
me but to all those who have longed for his appearing. But the Lord
stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the message might be
fully proclaimed for all the gentiles to hear; and so I was saved from
the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on
me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for
ever and ever. Amen.

MATTHEW 16:13-19
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this
question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of man is?' And
they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But you,' he said, 'who do you say
I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, 'You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a
blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you
but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on
this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld
can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'

REFLECTION
The early apostles and missionaries under the leadership of Peter and
Paul were the bridge builders to the Kingdom of Christ. The bishops,
priests and religious help maintain and repair the bridge.
Contemporary lay leaders assist others crossing the bridge.

And of course, there are always some professional critics who do
nothing but criticize the efforts of others, and put up barriers for
others to cross the bridge to the message of Jesus. However, under the
guidance of the Spirit of God, our hope is enlivened and we go
forward, building up the Kingdom of God in our individual lives and
the world, knowing that as St. Paul states in Romans: "With God on our
side, who can be against us?"(Rom. 8:31)

Jesus remains with us personally in the Holy Eucharist and dynamically
in the action of his Spirit. He is present, too, in the person of
Peter and the bishops, as teacher and guide to his people. Ultimately
it is Jesus, who leads, and it is he who chose Peter and the bishops
as the court of last appeal, the rock and foundation.

Today we offer heartfelt prayers for all who serve in the various
levels of Church leadership and for the self-sacrificing men and women
in the missions, facing hardships to bring to others the message of
Jesus. We remember that every Christian is expected to be a leader and
a missionary. We are all called to inspire others with divine wisdom
and to unify and sanctify the world for Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Susan
…for good health
- Bernard Baui, Remee R. Veloso, Arian Yu, Luisita Guerrero, Chit
Vizcarra, Roxannel Lapus, Choi D. Flores
… for the personal intentions of
- Atrero family
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Lawrence
- Nikolai Cortez
- Aydin Cortez
- Karl Cortez
- Maureen Cortez
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Lutgarda Sison Cortez
- Sy Tun
- Asilda Guanzon
- William Guanzon
Eternal rest grant unto her and may perpetual light shine upon her.
May she and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rody G. Bagabaldo
- Birthday: Mother Mary of the Divine Mercy, SSVM
- Birthday: Alice Chuaunsu
- Prayer Intention: Kenneth Yao & Family
- Prayer Intention: Neo Catechumenal Communities
- In Memoriam (+): Mary Elizabeth L. Yu (Oct 30, 1935- June 29, 1999)+
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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