SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES (SOLEMNITY)

Through me the proclamation might be completed. 

Peter and Paul encountered Jesus in very different ways.   Peter was fishing, and Paul was persecuting Christians.   But both encounters were so powerful that they led these two men to surrender their lives to Jesus and to follow him on a lifelong journey.

The Book of Acts shows us their journeys with all the highs and lows.   Peter and Paul boldly preached to crowds of people, even when it meant getting thrown into prison.   They performed amazing miracles that led people to believe in Christ.   Both experienced rejection of the gospel by some of their fellow Jews.   And then there was that painful disagreement between Peter and Paul about the role of Gentiles in the Church.

In all of this, Peter and Paul had to continually surrender their lives to God.   This may have required them to wrestle with their own plans and desires.   They may have had to combat the weakness and fear that go along with such surrender.   But it made them more open to the Holy Spirit and his guidance.   And what fruit was borne because of it!

As we continue to surrender our lives to the Lord, we too will become more open to the Spirit.   And that will make us more fruitful, just as it did for Peter and Paul.   Like a spring flood that flows down river channels with no obstacles or dams blocking it, God’s grace can flow through us to the people around us.   We can bring the good news of Jesus and the new life he offers to the people of our own day.

Whatever your circumstances are right now, ask for the grace to make an act of surrender to the Lord.   You could pray, “Jesus, I give my life, and every concern, desire, and hope, to you.   Use me in any way you wish to bring your life to other people.”   You may have to make that prayer day after day—surrendering to the Lord is not always easy.   But like Peter and Paul, you can trust that as you offer your life to God, you will see fruit, both in your life and in the lives of those around you.

“Lord, give me the grace to surrender my life to you.”

Acts 12:1-11
Psalm 34:2-9
Matthew 16:13-19