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June 29, 2024Today we joyfully celebrate the solemnity of the patron saints of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. The holy apostles Peter and Paul are our protectors. We rely on their powerful intercession. Today we also remember the anniversary of the foundation of our apostolic vicariate, which took place 135 years ago.
Together with the holy apostles, the two pillars of the universal Church, we also remember our particular Church which has a long and significant history. We are not here by chance and dispersed in small groups without identity, we are the Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula, to be a humble witness of the Gospel in this multi-ethnic and multi-religious society and to contribute to the good of all for a more fraternal and human world.
Our Apostolic Vicariate is then rooted in the testimony of the martyrs of Najran, Saint Arethas and companions, whose great jubilee we are celebrating. Saint Paul himself, as the acts of the apostles remind us, came to Arabia at the beginning of his preaching ministry.
Looking at the apostles Peter and Paul we find the meaning of our being Church in this society. Let us first look at Peter. Who is Peter and who is he for us? The Gospel we heard presents it to us in a very particular moment. It is the moment in which Jesus gives Peter the primacy over the entire Church. Where can we find this this? Jesus' dialogue with Peter reveals this to us. It is a turning point in the preaching of Jesus.
As a great communicator, Jesus is not only concerned with announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God, but he personally wants to verify what his listeners have understood. Who do people say the Son of Man is? The disciples respond with different reactions of the people: they say that you are prophet Jeremiah, others Elijah, others John the Baptist come back to life, or still others say one of the prophets.
Now Jesus reveals the true intention of his question: But you, who do you say I am? Dear faithful, this question is addressed to us today by Jesus. Each of us is personally questioned and must respond. Who is Jesus for you? What place does he have in your life? Is he one of the many prophets, or one of the many preachers? Saint Peter, who was a simple and impulsive man, doesn't even think about it for a second and immediately responds to Jesus: You are the Christ, the son of the Living God.
To these words Jesus responds: Simon, son of Jonah. You are a happy man. Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So, I now say to you: You are Peter and, on this rock, I will build my Church.
The words of Peter are the words of our Christian faith; Jesus is the Christ, that is, he is the consecrated one, the chosen one, the one sent by God, the messiah. He is the Son of God, our savior and redeemer. Peter’s profession of faith is therefore the rock. Our faith is the same as Peter's. We recognize that Christ is everything to us! If you want to heal a wound, He is the doctor; if you lack anything in life, He is the source; if you are oppressed by iniquity, He is justice; if you need help, He is the strength; if you fear death, He is life; if you desire heaven, He is the way; if you are in darkness, He is the light…
The mission of Peter and all his successors, up to Pope Francis, is to hold firm to the profession of our faith. This is why in these days in every Church the Peter's collection is taken, as support for the Pope's universal mission and as a sign of communion with the Church of Rome, which presides over the charity of all the Churches. I invite you to be generous as a sign of unity and obedience to the Pope.
Finally, let us consider Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. He brings the Gospel out of Jerusalem, and brings it to every culture, offers Jesus to everyone, no one excluded. At the end of his life, the apostle writes to his disciple Timothy and summarizes his journey in this way: I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.
His good fight was to bring the Gospel to the pagans and to all peoples, but his joy was to have preserved the faith, the same faith as Peter, the faith in Jesus, the son of God who gave his life for us.
Finally, I would like to remind you that Peter and Paul were two very different apostles. Peter a fisherman, a simple and impetuous man, incapable of making great speeches; Paul, a man of knowledge and wisdom, and a great preacher. Peter and Paul are very different and very united, they followed different paths but they both arrived in Rome and in Rome they gave their lives for Christ in martyrdom.
Dear faithful, we are all Catholics, with the same baptism and the same faith, but like Peter and Paul we are also different in culture, education and language. Yet we were brought together to form one Church and to bear witness to the Gospel through our unity and love for one another.
We thank the Lord for the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the pillars of the Church and patrons of our Apostolic Vicariate. Without them the Christian faith would never have reached us. We are joyful and proud to have the Christian faith. We thank the Lord for every brother and sister in Christ. Let us journey together towards the fullness of joy in the kingdom of God.
