"A Church of Peters" - 3rd Sunday of Easter Homily

We honor Mary in a special way in the month of May.

but really don't hear much about her during these resurrection stories.

gospel is pretty much silent about the Blessed Mother.

And then might speak to us what kind of Easter she had in silence.

Prayerfully celebrated in silent joy the resurrection of her son.

One person we do hear a lot about is Simon Peter.

Imagine the kind of Easter that he was having

was bittersweet.

Sweet because he's celebrating, like everyone else, resurrection, but really tough because he alone is carrying the burden of denying Jesus three times before he died.

Might be a bittersweet Easter for some of us, based on what's going on in life, in our faith.

uh

As parish, we were so blessed to open the main chapel on Easter Sunday with adoration.

It continued ever since, and so many are having a beautiful experience in the presence of the Lord, but others, tell me flat out, I'm not getting anything out of it.

And it's a really strong, tough experience of, like everybody else says, what's wrong with me?

Or am I phony?

Kind of process of things like Peter would.

He was alone in this.

He felt like no one else, so the apostles.

And there's just days folks that we feel like no one else is going through what we are.

We're like the worst believer, the worst follower of Jesus.

But follow his example of not giving up, staying with it, and being determined to atone, or to be atoned by the Lord.

He kept going to Jesus.

When he heard it was the Lord, he jumped into the sea, determined to atone, eager to be in the presence of Christ, to get it right, to get rid of this.

Either we're bringing it on or it's brought to us, but enough, And thank God he did, because that's exactly what Jesus had in mind.

Jesus, I'm sorry, Peter denied Jesus three times.

So now he has him three times affirm his love for him.

Including agape love.

Do you love me with everything you have?

The greatest love and Simon Peter said yes Lord, you know I laid down my life for you.

And you notice every time it's Simon son of John Simon son of John Like his he's got two names one is his natural human name and that's where as Simon like we do experience sin

and that's where the burden came in

But then this elevated position as Peter, as Rock, and that would come to the scene as well, Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my lambs as the leader of the Church.

That had to present a conflict to Peter, as Simon.

That's a conflict we're having, some of us, where, yeah, we're following Jesus, we're faithful Catholics, but we're not feeling it.

Or we're not.

We feel like we're not filled with faith.

And everyone else is.

And so when Jesus affirmed Peter in these three times, it was as him as a man, as a human being who had sinned.

And this is part of the atonement, the healing.

So it was a bittersweet Easter for any of us.

Follow Peter, staying in the presence of the Lord, trusting that the Lord will work it out.

and that he's calling us by name and will bring us healing by name that personal situation or problem we're having.

Sometimes we bring it on like Peter did in his denials.

We have our major sin or ignorance early on with Peter that's like us with the Bible or catechism or just that sense of feeling like a phony or hypocrite.

A man had two names.

went back and forth in this double life.

That's what being a hypocrite means.

Jesus doesn't see us that way.

He sees our goodness, but we feel it sometimes that we're not there and we're some kind of actor.

But if we're following him, we're like Peter.

And folks, it's really significant.

Jesus, knowing all of this about Peter, Simon Peter, named him the leader of the Church.

That means, first of all, we're not alone.

In the way we feel about ourselves as a disciple, as a believer, as a Catholic, and it means that we belong.

We are a Church of Peters.

It's so significant, Jesus goes out of his way to make him a leader, then Peter falls, and then Jesus builds him back up again as the leader going forward for life.

Trust that that same process will happen for you.

If you feel knocked down, even in the Easter season, even in adoration or coming to Sunday Mass, no one else knows what you're going through except me, who talks to many of you.

And I'm like, do you realize that people in the pews next to you feel the same way?

just, no one talks about it except to the priest.

So I know you're not alone.

We're a Church of Peters.

It's the highest and lowest of life.

The main thing is to keep following Jesus.

That's what Peter did.

He didn't give up.

Keep going in the presence of the Lord.

The office of Pope is so important for us right now as a Church.

And this week with the conclave beginning on Wednesday, the whole world is going to focus on it.

Phenomenon.

I've seen two, or at least paid attention to these in my life.

The whole world locks in on the election of the new Pope.

It's phenomenal.

We keep praying in the morning for the soul of Pope Francis.

As we're doing this mass, we'll pray for the conclave that the Cardinals be opened to the Holy Spirit.

But this gospel is good for us to go back to the first pope, Simon Peter.

And through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, may we not only relate to Peter, but imitate him in constantly, determinantly,

eagerly following Jesus and going into his presence.