SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL. Cathedral of Saint Paul June 29, 2013, 7:00 pm (Fortnight for Freedom) BY THE MOST REVEREND JOHN C.

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1 SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL Cathedral of Saint Paul June 29, 2013, 7:00 pm (Fortnight for Freedom) BY THE MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT The question posed by Christ to the Apostles, Who do you say that I am? is of fundamental importance for the Christian life. Likewise, it is a question posed to each one of us, and it is a question that we all must answer for ourselves. But the capacity to give the right answer, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God, is not enough for salvation. Indeed, it is a sobering fact that Satan would answer the question posed to the Apostles just as Peter did. The enemy knows who Jesus is, as Scripture makes clear. And yet Satan remains lost, imprisoned by his own pride and willfulness. We must do more than know Jesus we must love Jesus, and be willing to follow him, even unto a death for the sake of that love. This death is a reality that we must face not 1

2 just at the end of our earthly lives. It is a death we face every day when we are confronted with the need to forgive, or the need to serve, or the need to listen. In all of these little deaths, Christ knocks upon our hearts and asks that we take up our cross and follow him. We honor Peter and Paul not simply because of what they accomplished during their earthly lives, even as those accomplishments are of lasting value. To be sure, one would find it exceedingly difficult to overstate the importance of Paul for the development of the Christian Faith. No other figure, save Christ Himself, has done more to articulate the saving truths of Christianity. And in Peter, we see the very beginning of the Petrine ministry, a ministry of unity and integrity that is essential to the constitution of the Church. But the accomplishments of these seminal figures of Faith pale in comparison to that which truly matters in the light of eternity both men loved Jesus, and both yearned to do his will with an 2

3 Apostolic zeal and fervor. Their martyrdoms, Peter by crucifixion and Paul by the sword, are the manifestations of that love martyrdom is, after all, all about a love that is particularly Christian: the sacrificial love of God. And yet both men also manifest to us the great patience of God, as he waits with longing expectation for our positive response to his invitation which always comes before our response. It cannot be said that Peter was the most astute pupil of Jesus, a Master who constantly had to chide, and prompt, and encourage the first pope. And Paul s initial hatred for Jesus and his followers were hardly signs of that intensity of love that was to be Paul s following the Damascus encounter. And yet God did wait for both men, he waited for them to finally get it. The True and Living One never gave up on these two men, and when they at long last accepted the awesome gift that is Christ and his love, their lives because radiant with clarity, power and beauty, lives which we meditate upon even today. 3

4 Authentic love of Christ, exhibited by Saints Peter and Paul, does not lead the believer deeper into him or herself, increasingly unbothered by the surrounding world. Rather, like Paul, the love of Christ leads the Christian to spend himself for the sake of his neighbor, so that he might be poured out like a libation in a life of dedicated service. Love of Christ must be manifest we cannot keep it for ourselves, lest the flame of faith flicker and die, unexposed to the air of friendship, conversation, and service. A life lived in isolation is radically opposed to the Christian way, which is always about communion and solidarity. Even the monk is called to pray for his brothers and sisters, and to offer sacrifice for the salvation of the world. The expression no man is an island has a particularly powerful meaning for the Christian, who knows that he has been made in the image and likeness of a God who exists as a communion of persons. It is in this context of love of Christ leading necessarily to love of neighbor that we turn our eyes as believers to the many threats we 4

5 face as citizens today. I speak, of course, especially about the threats posed to religious liberty, threats foisted upon all people of good will by the most unfortunate and unnecessary decisions made by the current administration. Since the beginning of our present debate regarding religious liberty, the United States Catholic bishops have worked strenuously for a compromise that might ensure both universal access to health care, something for which the bishops have long advocated, while also ensuring the conscience rights of employers and religious institutions. To date, these attempts have born little fruit, thanks in large part to the stubbornness of those who proclaim with religious fervor that contraception, abortion and sterilization are fundamental human rights, to be denied to no one. The reality, of course, is that such procedures are grave offenses against human dignity and the nature of the sexual act, let alone the human person. The insistence that abortion is no different than life saving vaccinations, and that both must be available on demand, is an abomination. But nearly as disturbing is the alarming insistence that all agree with this principle, and consequently, that all 5

6 contribute to a health care system that equates contraception and sterilization with the palliative care due to the dying. My dear brothers and sisters, if you are not outraged or alarmed by the decisions of this current administration with regards to its clear violation of conscience rights and religious liberty, you are not paying attention. I urge you to consult the many resources available to you regarding these assaults and the many threats posed to your most cherished of liberties. Our own Minnesota Catholic Conference, the advocacy arm of the Minnesota Catholic Bishops, has provided many texts and articles, some of which may be picked up at the conclusion of this evening s Holy Hour which will take as soon as Holy Mass concludes. The Minnesota Catholic Conference s website is also a treasure trove of such resources. In addition, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has dedicated an entire page on their website to the issue of Religious Liberty and the protection of the rights of conscience. I urge you to find out why we as citizens need to be so alarmed by recent developments, and why 6

7 there exists such an urgent need to engage our representatives and the political process in combating them. But our vocation as Christians needs to add a particular zeal and slant to our work to defend the rights of religion and conscience. We are fighting not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors, and our children, and the poor, and the vulnerable. The assaults against the rights of human dignity, enshrined in the constitution, are assaults against our very brothers and sisters. And our silence in the face of such assaults, our unwillingness to respond with vigor to such assaults, will be held against us, both by history and on judgment day. Love of God must lead to love of neighbor, which means that love of God leads to action for the good of the other. Let us this day follow the example of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, who spent themselves in love of God and love of neighbor. Let us look to them for inspiration and guidance in our current struggles, struggles 7

8 which must be born in love. And let us pray to them for the hope that is born of love, hope that goodness and truth will triumph, a hope and a trust that the love of Jesus is stronger than any threat posed. Who do you say that Christ is? Let your answer be given both by your lips, and by your life, a life of service, zeal, and love. 8