St. Peter boldly made a profession of faith about Who Christ is, and Jesus Christ declared him to be the rock upon which the Church would be built and would be firm against its enemies.
Indeed, even when St. Peter was imprisoned, God provided a way out for him so that he could continue his mission.
Jesus Christ appeared to St. Paul, and he was radically transformed, turning his zeal from suppression of the Church to boldly edifying the Church. He spread the Gospel message far and wide, by which it made inroads among the Gentiles.
They both testified to the Gospel, even to the point of giving their lives, because they knew their place in the Church and the power of the Gospel to continue building the Church.
So we rejoice this day that the Church continues to rise on the foundation of such noble saints who gave so much to build the Church. We root ourselves in the same Gospel, the same profession of faith, and the same encounters with the Risen Christ so we declare to the world by our lives that God is at work among us.
A great story from 20 years ago at the 2005 conclave was when Cardinal George was seen staring intently out from the balcony as Pope Benedict XVI made his introduction. When asked later about what he was thinking, Cardinal George said as he looked at the ancient Roman ruins, including monuments to emperors, he asked where the successors of the Caesars were. Then he asked, who cares? But the successor of St. Peter? He was feet away from him.
Bishop Barron offered similar thoughts based on his experience in Rome during the 2025 conclave for his homily for this week. It's a great insight that testifies to the power of the Church because God has been at work through people like Saints Peter and Paul, who were faithful to God's call in their lives to contribute their part. It's a challenge and a gift to all of us in the Church today to contribute our part in response to the call.
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