Solemnity of St. Peter and Paul, Apostles

Mt 16:13-19

It is not easy to have strong faith today. Especially when the world around you would try to convince you that God doesn’t exist, that you don’t need Him, and you should only rely on your own strength. It is even more difficult to have faith when your spouse or your close relative or your best friend stopped believing, stopped going to church, and will tell you to do the same. Because how is it possible that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, how is it possible that when you eat that host and drink that wine, this truly is the Body and Blood of Christ. Or how is it possible that there is so much evil around us, and God doesn’t do anything about it. Or, why didn’t He answer my prayers when I begged him for help. It is very difficult to have strong faith, and this is why we must constantly ask for an increase of our faith. Our senses, our knowledge, our mind, would tell us that God can’t be here. That’s why we need faith, the same faith that St. Peter had. See, most of those asked by Jesus “who do people say that the Son of Man is” gave the answer dictated to them by their mind and knowledge - a prophet, Jeremiah, Elijah, or maybe John the Baptist. Only Peter gave an answer dictated to Him by deep faith. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”