In the days of my martial arts training, there was a poster that hung in the dojo.  It was a red circle with a line through the word can’t.  We were told that the word did not exist.  I have found that I have been able to carry that with me through the years.  There have definitely been times that a task put to me seemed daunting, but I know that with faith in the Lord, it will get done.  I no longer think that I “can’t” do it.  I know that with God I can.

Today we celebrate the Feast of Peter and Paul, the Apostles of Christ. Saints Peter and Paul are probably the most known of all the saints in the Catholic Church.  They did many things in the name of Jesus Christ, including dying.  Both were martyred during the reign of Nero.  Peter was crucified upside down and Paul was beheaded.  What do we do for our faith?  Martyrdom is not likely to happen to us, but if it did, we would be in good company.

Let’s take a look at Saints Peter and Paul.  Saint Peter was chosen by Jesus to lead the Catholic Church in the early stage of its foundation after the Lord had departed from earth. To Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of God . Saint Peter was the first Pope, he having been personally chosen by Our Lord Jesus.

Saint Paul , not originally a member of the twelve apostles that were chosen by Jesus, came into the picture a little later. When St. Peter was instituting the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul was persecuting the early Church Christians.  St. Paul denied Christ openly, to the point of leading the stoning of St. Stephen (the first martyr).  But he was to redeem himself.  The conversion of Paul, known then as Saul, came when he was approaching Damascus . A light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground off his horse and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:3-4)  St. Paul was chosen as God's instrument to bring the Name of the Lord before the Gentiles and kings and before the people of .  So, if we say that our sinfulness holds us back, remember St. Paul , and the word can’t should disappear.  We should know by now that God is a merciful God, and if we are truly sorry, He forgives us.

Today's Second Reading from the Second Letter to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:6-8, 17-18) affirms the importance of persevering in one's living faith. St. Paul claimed to have fought a good fight, to have held on to his faith until the end. Consequently, he affirmed that there was reserved for him in Heaven the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give on that day to those who have longed for His appearing.  St. Paul further proclaimed that the Lord stood by him and gave him strength so that through him, the message, the Good News of the Gospel, may be fully proclaimed to the Gentiles. To secure Paul's mission, the Lord rescued him from the lion's mouth and every evil attack that became obstacles to the Divine Will.  From this passage of the Scripture, we learn that those of us who persevere in our baptismal and confirmation calling to go forth and preach the Gospel, the Lord will be with us. He will give us strength so that through Him, we may achieve the mission for which we have been called. And as St. Paul was rescued from many obstacles, the Lord will preserve from evil attacks all those who persevere in His service in obedience and in humility.

St. Peter was, in many ways, just like us.  He had a temper; he took some serious blasts from Jesus.  After St. Peter denied Christ three times, Christ questioned him three times, “Peter, do you love me?”  Jesus also asked him – “Who do you say that I am?”  This was a test for St. Peter.  It is also a test for us.  If asked, could you answer that question – Who do you say that Christ is?

During the early days of the Catholic Church, the Lord Jesus orchestrated spectacular miracles to clearly show to the believers and the doubters that He was still with His followers and that they were fulfilling the Divine Will of God. One such spectacular miracle was the delivery of Peter from the prison. As we heard earlier during the First Reading, the angel of the Lord appeared to St. Peter, removed the chains from him and guided him outside of the prison.  While such a spectacular manifestation appeared to be a dream, when St. Peter realized that it was not a dream, that he was truly free from his captor, he affirmed, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod." (Acts 12:11) What an experience this must have been!  What about the chains that hold us back?  Who or what is holding us captive?  Maybe we are keeping ourselves in chains.  We need to pray and have faith that we will be released from our chains and be free like St. Peter.

Saints Peter and Paul teach us valuable lessons.  They teach us that we can.  We can make a difference, we can do anything that is asked of us.  We just have to have faith that Christ is with us every step of the way.  Both Saint Peter and Saint Paul can answer Christ’s question – “who do you say that I am?”  They can also answer other questions.  Questions like “who do we belong to?” or “who do we follow?”

I have been active in Our Lord’s Church for six years now.  I serve in two capacities – as a Deacon and also as the Vice Chancellor for Administration.  When I first started the thing that amazed me the most was how many members of the clergy have disagreements.  It is said that Peter and Paul could not be in the same room with each other.  They were human just like us.  None of the saints became saints overnight. And the Lord Jesus does not expect us to become saints overnight. Sainthood is progressive. The more we persevere in the service of the Lord, the more He rewards us by manifesting His power through us so that we may draw others to the Lord Jesus.  He is our common link.

Remember that God is there for you always.  March forward, breaking the chains that hold you back.  Follow where Christ wants you to ago and know that you can do it.  Then each one of us can say personally with St. Paul: "the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and give himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).