Saturday Vigil – June 27, 2026 – Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul – Jn 21:15-19

Jesus says “Follow me” – not always a simple task.  If we truly pledge ourselves to follow Jesus, it is a journey of great rewards.   And it can be a journey of great challenges as well. 

Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him.  This might be an affirmation of Peter’s love for Jesus for the three times that Peter would deny Jesus in the courtyard outside of Jesus’ trial.  Then Jesus clearly tells Peter that the consequences for following him, in the end will have Peter’s hands outstretched facing his own persecution and death for living out and proclaiming the one true faith in Jesus Christ.  Peter gives his life over to the Lord.  In our own way, we are all called to do the same. 

Saint Vincent de Paul said, “After knowing the will of God in regard to a work which we undertake, we should continue courageously, however difficult it may be.  We should follow it to the end...” 

“…follow it to the end…”  How appropriate for tonight in celebrating many blessings.  Celebrating Saints Peter and Paul that followed Christ as the great evangelizers of our faith building our Church that we treasure to this very day.  Celebrating ten adults fully coming into the Catholic faith tonight after their journey of discernment and learning this year.  Celebrating how our Parochial Vicar Father Nicholas responded to Christ to follow him becoming a priest to serve him and his Church, to serve us at Saint Peter’s the past three years, and to celebrate he has now grown up and we must let him leave the nest of Saint Peter’s.  And finally, celebrating the bond and fellowship of this wonderful vibrant faith-filled community at our annual summer picnic after this Mass.

In this moment, I ask everyone here tonight to reflect on this question: How is Christ asking you and me to follow him?  To “…follow [him] to the end?”

It whatever our calling might be, it has to come down to living out the Great Commandment loving God and neighbor.  That is how God’s love came to us through Jesus Christ.  That is how the love of God continued upon Jesus’ death and resurrection through His Church, beginning with the Apostles.  It is now up to you and me to carry it on.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2012 homily for this feast day, said, “Dear brothers and sisters, the gift of this love has been entrusted to us, to every Christian.  It is a gift to be passed on to others, through the witness of our lives.  This is your task…: to bear witness to the joy of Christ’s love.” 

“…through the witness of our lives.”  Peter shows us the way.  In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, “Peter said, ‘I have neither silver or gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”  Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.”

Peter looked beyond this world and saw his purpose to bring Christ to people.  To love God by how he lived out his calling.  And to love others, to love someone that was in need of that same love and help lift up that person in need.

You and I know this broken world needs healing.  It has since its beginning.  You and I can bring healing through acts of love to help someone in need of God’s love.  I think often, if every person that comes into this church on a weekend did one thing to lift someone up in need this week, think of how many hundreds of lives are touched.  How many lives see the love of Christ working through us.

Saint Peter said, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”  As we witness in just a few minutes ten members of our parish come fully into the Catholic faith, may it remind each of us of our calling into the faith.  As we witness before us the real presence of Jesus Christ in his precious body and blood at this Holy Mass, may it nourish our faith to then go out into this world to live our faith loving God and loving others.  As Saints Peter and Paul set out to fulfill their calling to build this Church and build up the Kingdom of God here and now, may we fulfill that same calling with the precious life and creation God has given to each and every one of us.  Let us follow Christ and let us follow him to the end.  Amen.