Glory to Jesus Christ!
As we celebrate the Apostles on this great feast day, we look to them as a prime example for living out the Christian life.
They are leaders amongst the saints, and so we see their discipleship, and we do our best to emulate it ourselves.
But this can feel to be an insurmountable task. I mean, where do we even start?
It can be hard to believe these expectations that are now seemingly laid upon us, especially considering the bar that Christ sets for us in his own words, today:
“Peter, you are the rock upon which I shall build my Church! I shall give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven!”
How can I possibly measure up to this? How can I possibly follow in the footsteps of Peter and of Paul?
Quite strangely, I have already done quite well to imitate Peter and Paul, in my own life. However, it is through My own shortcomings, and in my own sins where I have found true kinship with these saints.
It is no accident that these two pillars of the Church were chosen as examples for us sinners.
Peter, who wasted no time in denying Christ whilst the Lord was being mocked and scourged, and ultimately crucified.
And Paul, himself a great and effective persecutor of Christians, a self-proclaimed enemy of the Church.
Why would these two men, so complicated in their journey towards Christ, be lauded as such idealistic examples for us?
You see, it is not in their highest highs, or their lowest lows that we look to today for an answer.Rather, we look to the very moment of their spiritual transformation.
We look to their return to Christ from their darkest moments, a return brought about by genuine and authentic repentance.
When I look to emulate St Peter, I join him in the forest after his denial of Christ, weeping bitter tears with him and seeking forgiveness for my own sins with a contrite heart.
When I look to follow in the footsteps of Paul, I do so on the road to Damascus, blinded by the glory of Christ before me, and now set on a new path towards humility and ministry.
Repentance is the through-line that connects all of us. Sinners and Saints.
It is the catalyst that makes possible the seemingly impossible task of becoming holy.
Through seeking humility through repentance, we emulate not just Peter, not just Paul, but we seek after the ultimate example of humility itself: Christ bearing all sin and suffering upon the Cross.
For Christ, having no need for repentance since he is without sin, still chooses to show us the path by which we may be free of sin ourselves.
In doing so, he refuses to leave us lost in our own darkness.
And so today, we thank the Lord our God for this example that he has given us, and we thank him for the multitude of saints who emulate that example for our benefit, for our instruction, and for our intercession.
We thank the Lord for these keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, these gifts of repentance and of his forgiveness, which he freely gives to us.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
