A WORD FOR TODAY 29 JUNE 2020

A WORD FOR TODAY

STRIVE TO FINISH THE RACE WELL

"And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:17-18)

Today the Universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. They are two great icons and models of our faith that we must look up to if we are going to make any headway in our journey of faith.

This life we are living is like a race and before you can win a race, you must prepare well and compete in accordance with the laid down rules. It is not a guarantee that a person who starts first will be the first to finish, but if the the person works hard and put in extra effort, he or she will definitely come out victorious.

St. Peter is the rock upon which our Lord Jesus Christ built His Church as we have recorded in the gospel reading of today. He was chosen to lead the other apostles and disciples of Christ. He was the first Pope and paid the supreme price of martyrdom for the sake of Christ whom He loved so much.

St. Paul on the other hand became a fire brand preacher of the Good News after his conversion. He suffered so much in the course of his missionary journeys, but he never gave up but continued to proclaim Christ and defended the Church with his blood. He fought the good fight of faith like saint Peter and today he is in heaven interceding for us.

Both saints Peter and Paul inspite of their weakness, persevered in faith and followed Jesus till the end of their lives. They have left us a wonderful example to follow through their writings, lifestyle and dedication to the propagation of the gospel. We must not only look up to them, but strive everyday to live our lives as citizens of heaven and by so doing we will win the crown of eternal life on the last day.

We must strive to finish the race we have started well. Distractions will come, we will experience persecutions and hardship as saints Peter and Paul did which we have recorded in the first and second readings of today, but we must never give up, because Jesus will never abandon us, but will give us the grace to remain steadfast till the end. Rise up from wherever you have fallen and keep running the race that is set before you well. Keep proclaiming Christ in season and out of season. Never give up, but stay focused until you arrive your destination in heaven.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a blessed new week. May Jesus give you the grace to fight the good fight of faith like the apostles Peter and Paul. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meditation: Acts 12:1-11/Psalm 34:2-9/2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18/Matthew 16:13-19

Watch-Word: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.

When you stop striving to reach your goal, you have made the decision to accept failure, but a little push can help you get over the finishing line. Never give up.

(Monday of the Thirteenth week in the Ordinary Time. Year II. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.)