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Who Am I?

27/6/2025

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Matthew
16.13-19

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Have you ever played the game “Who Am I”? One player thinks of a person, and the remaining players ask a series of yes/no questions until they narrow down possible answers to the correct one or run out of questions trying. This game is not unlike what happens in real life when we try to discover who someone really is. I dare say, over 2000 years ago and with every generation that has followed, people have tried to discover who Jesus really is.

Did Jesus really live? Yes! There is a plethora of historical evidence that Jesus did indeed walk the earth.

Was He a teacher? Yes! The four Gospels recount numerous teachings, including the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7, Luke 6:17-26), where Jesus spoke on blessedness, the law, anger, lust, divorce, vows, revenge, loving one’s enemies, giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, money, anxiety, judging others, and the way to heaven. The reaction? When Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at His teaching for He taught with authority and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:28-29).

Did He perform miracles, signs and wonders? Yes! Jesus made the blind to see (John 9), the deaf to hear (Mark 7), the lame to leap (John 5), the demons to be cast out (Mark 5). Two fish and five loaves of bread He made to feed more than 5000 people (Matt 14), and He walked upon the water (Matthew 14).

Did He love? Yes! His life in both word and deed epitomized true, selfless, deep, and abiding love.

Is there more to Jesus than being a loving man, remarkable teacher, and miracle worker?
Did Jesus claim to be more than a man? Yes! In John 10:30, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” And, in John 10:33, the Jews told Him, “We are not stoning you for any good work … but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

As C.S. Lewis so aptly put it in his book Mere Christianity, Jesus’ claims don’t allow us the option of saying he was merely a good man or a great moral teacher. Rather we must choose whether he is a liar, a lunatic or Lord!

Did Jesus die, rise from the dead and later ascend into heaven? Yes! The Gospels were written by eyewitnesses (Matthew and John) and by people (Mark and Luke) who interviewed those who were present at these events. Jesus was indeed crucified and died. Three days later He rose again and, forty days following He ascended into heaven.

In the Gospel for Sunday, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” We hear around us many differing opinions, as the disciples did. Yet, the most important question is the one that followed: “What about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” This question, first posed to the disciples, is posed to each one of us even now. While we will be called to make many determinations in this lifetime, none is of greater significance than this one. Its implications affect us both now and into eternity.

When asked this question may we, like Peter, cry out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” – and may we, like Peter upon acknowledging Jesus’ true identity, be given a revelation as to our own.

Lisa Wing

3 Comments

Comfort for a New Season

26/6/2025

1 Comment

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

2 Timothy
4.6-8, 17-18

Beloved: I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I read this reading three times before it hits me, “Ahh, I see, God. Thank You.”

I am the mother of two young adults, ages 26 and 22. As a family we’ve been through it. Ups and downs, tears and sadness, betrayal even. It’s been hard. And, beautiful. For 26 years I’ve been a mom, giving my all, doing my best -- most of the time. I see so much growth in both of my kids, on all the levels. They are at the beginning of their lives as adults. They are good humans. Similar to Paul pouring his life into service, I have invested deeply in my children.

And, I am tired. It’s no small feat raising children, managing a household, working 40 hours a week and doing all the errands. I am both exhausted just remembering and amazed that I was able to keep up. I've persevered and crossed that parenting finish line -- woot!
But celebration is the last thing on my mind.

You see, I didn’t hide eggs for them this past Easter. “They’re adults,” I thought. “They don’t need that silly tradition.” It turns out, however, that I did. In the several weeks since then, I’ve realized on many occasions that they don’t need me anymore, not daily like they used to. Sure, I get the random call: “Where are the clothes pins? Can you bring home a Sprite?” But need me? No, I don’t see that much, anymore.

When I read this scripture, I feel a small thread of connection to Paul and his dedication to the Lord. My faith is thriving, my heart is full of love for Him. I need Him, and He is showing me at the most perfect times that I can dive deep into serving Him. And it is incredibly fulfilling. He asks me only to love and follow Him, to be myself -- and He reveals my gifts. It is in the revealing that I am able to re-energize my spirit.

Sometimes I will feel nostalgic for the days of strollers and training wheels, when a kiss could make it all better, and when we would read stories together for hours. I can embrace those beautiful memories and know that He will guide me through any sadness and longing. In that I have a sense of one chapter closing and another, focused on deeper service to God, beginning. My faith is providing me with comfort and direction for this new season.

Jacinda Whebby

1 Comment

Like Peter and Paul

25/6/2025

3 Comments

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Psalm 34

R. The Lord set me free from all my fears.

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

R. The Lord set me free from all my fears.

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

R. The Lord set me free from all my fears.

Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. The poor one called, and the Lord heard, and saved that person from every trouble.

R. The Lord set me free from all my fears.

The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

R. The Lord set me free from all my fears.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

There’s something beautifully bold about celebrating Saints Peter and Paul on the same day. These two men couldn’t have been more different – Peter, impulsive and passionate; Paul, intellectual and relentless – yet God used them both to build His Church, proving once again that grace meets us exactly where we are.

The psalm for this feast – Psalm 34 – feels as if it could have been written by either of them. It’s raw, grateful, and full of wonder at the Lord’s mercy. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me,” it says, “and delivered me from all my fears.” Can’t you imagine Peter saying that after being freed from prison by an angel; or Paul, bruised and bloodied after yet another beating, still proclaiming God's faithfulness? These aren’t lines from a cozy devotional. They come from people who had every reason to be afraid – and every reason to believe.

As Catholic women today, most of us aren’t dodging Roman guards or surviving shipwrecks, but we do carry real fears about our children, our marriages, our futures, or the private battles no one else sees. We may not be in chains, but we often feel trapped by anxiety, expectations, or simply exhaustion. Psalm 34 doesn’t deny fear; it just doesn’t let fear win. It dares to say that God hears us when we cry out and that His rescue is not a maybe but a promise.

What I love most about this psalm is its invitation: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” It’s not a demand to believe from afar; it’s a personal, sensory call to come close, to experience God for ourselves. It’s like being invited to the table by someone who’s been through it all and still says, “Come and see – He’s good.”

Peter and Paul had plenty of reasons to doubt, to give up, to stay quiet, but they didn’t. And maybe their secret was this: they kept coming back to the table. They kept tasting the goodness of the Lord, even when everything around them said otherwise.

So maybe today, in the middle of laundry piles or work deadlines or unexpected heartaches, we can do the same. We can pause, breathe, whisper a prayer and trust that the God who rescued Peter and Paul is still in the business of showing up.

Let’s bless the Lord not because life is always easy, but because He is always faithful. He still delivers. He still surrounds. And He still invites.

Theresa Langley

3 Comments

Every Day, Miracles!

24/6/2025

2 Comments

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Acts
2.1-11

In those days, King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased some of the people, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.

When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. While Peter was kept in prison, the Church prayed fervently to God for him.

The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an Angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

The Angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the Angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the Angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his Angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the people were expecting.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

The lives of the saints have much to teach us. The First Reading for this coming Sunday tells us that our “faith muscles” are strengthened most especially through regular exercise and practice, and less so through events. To grow our faith, we must intentionally acknowledge both the spectacular and the familiar action of the Divine in our lives. Peter — who saw with his own eyes Jesus and Lazarus risen from the dead, who spoke and ate with Jesus before the Ascension, and who watched Jesus being taken up to Heaven and received the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles — even Peter does not recognize in the moment that 1) his rescue “was real” (he thought it was a vision), and 2) chains and doors unlocking of their “own accord” was divine intervention.

It’s true that each one of us will witness spectacular miracles in this lifetime, but let’s not rely on these extraordinary occurrences to sustain our faith. Instead, let’s commit to seeking out the everyday miracles that happen much more frequently in this world, so frequently that we sometimes fail to acknowledge them as miracles. How extraordinary is it that trees communicate with each other; that birds that have never migrated in their lives know when they must migrate and also where they must go; that our bodies heal themselves of wounds and disease all the time without the slightest intervention from the reasoning part of us.

Faith is the practice of connecting with God every day, looking out for God’s “ordinary” miracles. Peter’s story teaches us that divine intervention in a spectacular fashion is not enough to convince us that God is working in our lives. We need to be on the lookout for how God is working miracles in our lives every, single day. Although we will see both spectacular and everyday miracles many times throughout our lives, there undoubtedly will be more of the latter than the former.
We learn from the lives of the saints. That spectacular miracles could not sustain even Peter is a lesson for us.

Lord, remind us to search for miracles in every day. Build our faith muscles so that we know, in every moment, that You are on the move in the lives of those who need and call on You.

Donna Davis

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Who Am I?

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Comfort for a New Season

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Like Peter and Paul

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Every Day, Miracles!

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Archives

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, June 29th, 2025:
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul