Homily – Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul (C)

The Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul concurs with the thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time, Year C.  When a celebration of a solemnity happens outside of penitential seasons of Advent, Lent and Easter, the readings for that solemnity take precedence over the readings of solemnity of Sunday.  We are also provided with two sets of readings for this solemnity, one for Vigil and one for during the day celebrations. 

What caused me to ponder was the first reading for the Vigil taken from the Acts of the Apostles (3:1-10).  The account reports the story of Peter and John, whilst on their way to pray in the Temple, encountering a crippled man by birth.  This person was carried and put at the entrance of the Beautiful Gate every day, so that he could beg for his survival.  When he saw the two Apostles, he begged them.  They both looked straight at him and said: ‘Look at us.’  He turned to them with the hope that he could get something from them.  However, Peter said: ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!’  Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand up. 

This beautiful scene of this encounter of the three people deeply touched me.  Peter and John literally had nothing on them.  As they clearly said: ‘I have neither silver nor gold.’  This, however, did not mean that they did not have hope for the man; they had the courage to proclaim the name of Jesus for his healing.  The prayerful spirit, through the fact that they were on their way to pray in the temple, is worth taking into reflection.  These Apostles were committed and faithful to their religious practice through the life of prayer.  Nevertheless, they did not hesitate to stop to help a person in need.  They very much put their religious practice into action at that very moment.  One can easily be caught in scrupulous piety and completely neglect, and be indifferent to, the needs of one’s neighbours that are right in front of oneself. 

The second aspect of the scene that might profoundly move us, is the image of Peter reaching out his hand to help the cripple to stand up.  A helping hand to support someone to stand up in suffering and struggling times is indeed a loving and beautiful gesture that could bring much healing and comfort.  Witnessing the sad situation of the world where people are trying to ‘cripple’ each other is unsettling.  We, on the other hand, are urged and inspired to continue with courage to bring healing and comfort in the name of Jesus, lending a helping hand to those who are in need around us.

It would be a terrible failure not to mention Paul on the solemnity to that the whole Church honour him.  What we might remember most about Paul is probably his missionary spirit.  The message of the Good News in the name of Jesus was not limited for Jews only but also Gentiles according to him.  “I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 13:47).  So the proclamation of Jesus’ name and the helping hand that we have seen in Peter, according to Paul, should be offered to all.  May we be inspired by these greatest Apostles of Jesus to bring about a world that embraces love and peace, healing and comfort through our kind gestures to one another. 

“Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.”  

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

By Fr Sang Ho