WITNESSING TO CHRIST THROUGH WEAKNESS AND GRACE

Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Bible Readings: Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19

A few years ago, a young girl came to me, deeply burdened. She had made serious mistakes in her personal life, failed in the commitment she made to God, and now felt unworthy to speak of God or even show her face in church. “How can I witness to Christ,” she asked, “when I have messed up so much?” I looked at her and said, “You are exactly the kind of person Christ wants and chooses.” Our past does not disqualify us from being used by God.

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, two men who would probably never pass a modern background check for sainthood. One denied Jesus three times while the other once hunted Christians for execution. Yet, it is precisely these men that Christ chose to be the two pillars of his Church.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15). It was Peter who boldly declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then responded with one of the most foundational statements in the Church’s history: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church... I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16:18-19). 

The name “Peter” (Greek: Petros) means rock, but Peter did not always live up to his name. He was impulsive, fearful, and inconsistent. He walked on water but sank in doubt (Mt 14:30). He pledged loyalty but denied Christ three times (Lk 22:61-62). Yet, Jesus never gave up on him (John 21:15-17). Peter’s life teaches us that God does not build his Church on perfection, but on grace transformed by love. He writes straight with crooked lines.

Paul’s journey is no less different. Formerly Saul, he was a zealous Pharisee who approved of Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 8:1) and persecuted Christians. But after his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-4), Paul would go on to become the Apostle to the Gentiles, establishing churches, enduring beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonments (today’s second reading was even written from the prison), and betrayal - all for the sake of the Gospel. Like Peter, Paul teaches us that no one is too broken to be used by God. Grace can turn even a persecutor into a preacher.

The first reading shows God’s special intervention in Peter’s life. Herod imprisoned Peter, chaining him between two soldiers, but God sent an angel to free him miraculously. Peter, once again facing death, was delivered because the Church was “fervently praying” for him (Acts 12:5). This reveals a vital truth: The mission of the Church is upheld not by human strength, but by divine power and prayer. It also reminds us that the apostles’ greatness came not from what they could do for God, but what God could do through them when they were surrendered in faith.

Peter and Paul were different in personality, background, and mission field - Peter primarily to the Jews, Paul to the Gentiles (Gal 2:7-9). They sometimes disagreed, even publicly (Gal 2:11-14), but they were united in Christ and in the mission of the Gospel. Their feast together signifies that unity does not mean uniformity. The Church is strongest when it values diverse gifts working in harmony for one mission: to proclaim Christ to the world.

Dear friend in Christ, Saints Peter and Paul stand before us as proof that God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. Their lives, marked by failure, redemption, mission, and martyrdom, remind us that the Church is built on the rock of grace. Let us ask for their intercession today. Like them, may we surrender our weakness to Christ. Like them, may we proclaim the Gospel without fear. And like them, may we one day receive the crown of glory that never fades (1 Pet 5:4).