Grace and Grit: The Apostolic Fire of Saints Peter and Paul

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles: June 29, 2025

Readings: Acts 12:1-11; Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/zSmCDdKjDcI

Today, the Church invites us to celebrate two giants of our faith, two pillars of the Church, two very different men, called and united by one Lord—Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is rare and beautiful that these two apostles are remembered together on one solemn feast. And this year, the celebration is all the more special—falling on a Sunday—when the Church gathers in her fullest form to honour them. Let us begin by falling in love with these saints—not just admiring their heroism from a distance, but allowing them to speak into our lives.

1. Saint Peter: The Rock who Fell, then Rose

Peter, the fisherman from Galilee, was impulsive, emotional, often confused, but deeply faithful. When Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered with a boldness that shook the heavens: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). And yet, this same Peter denied Jesus three times. He wept bitterly. But his story did not end in failure. The risen Christ looked at Peter not with condemnation, but with love, and entrusted him again: “Feed my sheep.”

We love Peter because he is so much like us—frail, fearful, but full of yearning. His story reminds us that grace builds on weakness, that mercy is stronger than denial, and that our past failures cannot cancel God's future plans for us.  Peter teaches us that even when we stumble, we are still loved. And love—divine love—can transform a fisherman into a shepherd, a denier into a martyr, a weak man into a rock.

2. Saint Paul: The Firebrand Turned Evangelist

Then there is Paul—scholar, Pharisee, persecutor of Christians. His hands were stained with the blood of Stephen, the first martyr. But on the road to Damascus, he was thrown down—not just to the ground, but into a new life. He heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And everything changed. Paul’s conversion is dramatic, but not just about a moment. It was a lifelong race of preaching, suffering, writing, and loving. He travelled the ancient world, planted churches, endured prisons, beatings, shipwrecks, and ultimately martyrdom—all for Jesus Christ.

We love Paul because his passion is contagious. He shows us that no past is beyond redemption, no sinner is too far gone, and no one is so lost that Christ cannot find them. Paul turned every suffering into song, every prison into a pulpit. His 13 letters still echo with fire and faith: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

3. Two Saints, One Church

Peter and Paul were very different—Peter walked with Jesus, Paul encountered the Risen One. Peter represented stability; Paul symbolized mission. Peter was the rock; Paul was the voice. And yet, both poured out their lives in Rome, both died as martyrs, and together they remind us that the Church is built not on perfection, but on faith and surrender. We must confess our faith in Christ not only with our tongues but with our lives.

Their lives tell us: Christ calls us not because we are perfect, but because He is. What unites Peter and Paul is not their strength, but their surrender. Not their flawless records, but their undying love. Perhaps it is a great lesson for us that God never let's us down in spite of our failures or frailties instead, he lifts us up because we never give him up. Let us not just venerate Peter and Paul—let us walk with them. Let their courage fill our weakness. Let their love spark our hearts. Let their stories remind us that the same Spirit that moved them moves in us today. Let this be our takeaway today.

Questions for self-reflection

1. Are we willing, like Peter, to get up again after we fall?
2. Are we ready, like Paul, to let Christ turn our lives upside down?
3. Are we open, like them, to be used—fragile, ordinary, broken as we are—for God's extraordinary plan?

Concluding prayer:

Lord God, we thank You for the gift of Saints Peter and Paul— for their witness, their courage, and their undying love for You. May their lives inspire us to follow You more faithfully, to rise after every fall like Peter, and to run the race with passion like Paul.

Strengthen our faith, ignite our hearts, and make us fearless in proclaiming Your truth. Through their intercession, may we become living stones in the Church they helped to build. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us!

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

June 27, 2025

Corpus Christi: God's Love Made Visible and Tangible

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi): June 22, 2025

Readings: Genesis 14:18–20; Psalm 110:1–4; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Luke 9:11–17

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/hhGchiDmETQ

Friendship matters. Without love and care, our life here on earth would be boring. We are not material objects but human beings with flesh and blood. We connect with each other because of our emotions and other personality traits. Friendship is one of the most beautiful and meaningful relationships we can experience. At its heart, friendship is a bond of mutual trust, love, respect, and support between two or more people. It is a relationship that goes beyond obligation — it is freely chosen and joyfully nurtured. After the three great solemnities, the Ascension of the Lord, Pentecost, and the Most Holy Trinity, on this Sunday, we celebrate Corpus Christi Sunday, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is a day to remember Christ's friendship with us. Christ left behind us something very tangible, concrete and special of his friendship with us. We will not be carrying a picture of Jesus, but the power of his remembrance of his Last Supper, the body and blood.

1. Corpus Christi: "Do this in memory of me!"

What a magnificent feast we celebrate today! On this solemn feast of Corpus Christi, the Church pauses to gaze upon the profound mystery at the heart of our faith — the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. It is a day to rediscover the sacred gift given to us not as a symbol, but as Christ Himself, truly present: Body, Blood, and Divinity. Corpus Christi is more than a celebration of a sacrament. It is a call to live Eucharistically. That means: To center our lives around the Mass — not as a weekly duty, but as the source and summit of our faith. To become what we receive — to be broken open in love for the world, especially for the hungry, lonely, and forgotten.

Trinity: Drawn into the Dance of Divine Love

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday: June 15, 2025

Readings: Proverbs 8:22–31; Psalms 8:4–9; Romans 5:1–5; John 16:12–15

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/mFtTJdC05l0

Working together builds and strengthens. It also talks about continuity, communication, and cooperation. Even though it is difficult to understand exactly the inner workings within the Holy Trinity, with our faith and inner eyes, and from our human experience, we can say that it is like various parts of the body working together. Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It invites us not to get into abstract theological speculations, but try to understand the mystery of the relationship of love that overflows. God is not a solitary being, but a communion of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This mystery, revealed through Jesus Christ, is not something to be solved, but to be entered and lived.

1. The Trinity in Us: Peace, Hope, and Love

St. Augustine, writing in his book "De Trinitate," tells us that the "Father is the one who begets, the Son is the one who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the bond of love between them.” There is a deep inner working within the Holy Trinity. It is the bond of love that unites them. One God but three persons has always intrigued the generations of Christians. With our human intelligence, we might find it a bit strange, still, we see the logic of God is perfect. The scripture supports this claim. 

Empowered for Mission: The Spirit of Pentecost

Pentecost Sunday: June 08, 2025

Readings: Acts 2:1–11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29–31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3–7, 12–13; John 20:19–23

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Today, we celebrate this great feast of Pentecost/ the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. In fact, we are invited to open our hearts to the same Spirit. What happened in the Upper Room is meant to happen in us. Pentecost is not merely the Church’s birthday—it is the explosion of divine life into human history. It is the moment when frightened disciples became courageous witnesses, when the closed doors of fear were shattered by a rush of wind, and when human speech, once divided by confusion at Babel, was united again by the Spirit in the language of love. As we celebrate this liturgy of Pentecost, let us feel that same warmth and divine explosion within our hearts and communities. 

1. Holy Spirit: Divine explosion in the midst of fear

In Acts 2:1–11, the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles in tongues of fire. The image is powerful—fire that purifies, empowers, and lights the way. The disciples, who once locked themselves away in fear, are now energized to proclaim the Gospel to people from every nation. They are ready to move out of their comfort zones and take up dangerous and courageous missions. The Spirit does not give them safety or ease, but strength and clarity. The miracle is not only in the speaking, but also in the hearing—people from diverse backgrounds hear the Good News in their own language. 

Lifted to Live: Following the Ascended Christ on Earth

Ascension of the Lord: June 01, 2025

Readings: Acts 1:1–11; Psalm 47:2–3, 6–7, 8–9; Ephesians 1:17–23; Luke 24:46–53 

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Today, we celebrate the great feast of the Ascension—Jesus’ return to the Father after completing His earthly mission. It is a moment filled with awe and mystery, but also with challenge and commissioning. The Ascension is not a farewell; it is an invitation to deeper faith, bolder witness, and wholehearted discipleship. This Sunday's liturgical readings invite us to enter deeper into the mystery of Christ's ascension into heaven. A Christian with enlightened eyes sees the world with hope, lives without fear, and embraces every task as sacred. Christ’s Lordship over all things gives meaning to our life of hope.

1. Christ Entrusts Us with His Mission 

Before He ascends, Jesus opens the minds of His disciples to understand the Scriptures. He reminds them that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise, and now “repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations.” Then He declares, “You are witnesses of these things.” In other words, they are not supposed to think about the empty tomb and sit idle.

Peace I Leave with You: The Promise of Abiding Love

06th Sunday of Easter: May 25, 2025

Readings: Acts 15:1–2, 22–29; Psalm 67:2–3, 5–6, 8; Revelation 21:10–14, 22–23; John 14:23–29

What is it that belief makes it believable? What is it that believing Jesus the Son of God makes it believable? It is Jesus Christ himself. It is Jesus who makes himself believable through his words and deeds. As we almost conclude the Easter Season, Jesus continues to fascinate us. In him we find everything, the words of eternal life. Because he is the Word sent by God to be revealed in the human form. The liturgical readings on this Sunday especially the Gospel passage, convince us that Jesus is the person whom we must believe.

1. God’s Presence in Absence

Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John speaks about the intimacy that Father and Son enjoy. Whatever the Son does, it’s because of the Father. Both Father and Son are one. Jesus acknowledges that the Father is greater than the Son. In fact, it’s the Father who will send the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the helper to be with the disciples once Jesus leaves them. 

Strengthened for the Journey: Called to Love with Courage

05th Sunday of Easter: May 18, 2025

Readings: Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145:8-13: Revelation 21:1-5; John 13:31-35

What is our life if we live it for ourselves? With a capacity for intelligence and rational thinking, we are called to be someone different and make others' lives beautiful as we do for ourselves. This requires a certain amount of grace, in fact, divine wisdom. Even though human beings tend to be selfish and egoistic, there is a spark within each one to help others. As a result, we see wickedness has not prospered and good continues to grow. As we enter into the liturgy of the fifth Sunday of Easter, the biblical readings invite us to be embraced by the grace of God. The first Christians experienced the tremendous power of Easter and radiated through their life of service, veneration and love.

1. Strength in Perseverance

The Easter season continues to call us to new life—not merely in the joy of the Resurrection, but in the concrete and sometimes difficult journey of discipleship. Today’s readings remind us that the Christian path is not always easy, but it is deeply meaningful and gloriously rewarded. In Acts, we witness Paul and Barnabas returning to the very cities where they had faced rejection and persecution. Instead of retreating in fear, they go back to strengthen the disciples and encourage them with a bold truth: “It is through many hardships that we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Listening to the Shepherd’s Voice: Living Christian Spirituality Today

04th Sunday of Easter: May 11, 2025

Readings: Acts 13:14, 43–52; Psalm 100:1–3, 5; Revelation 7:9, 14–17; John 10:27–30

Spirituality is the search for and experience of the sacred, the transcendent, or the deeper meaning of life. It involves a personal journey that often includes a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, such as God, the universe, nature, or the inner self, and is expressed through beliefs, practices, values, and ways of living. In other words, it is simply a way of life with a higher purpose. It tries to answer life's big questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? What gives my life meaning? The liturgical readings of this 4th Sunday of Easter deliberate on the kind of new life the early Christians want to embrace. The new style of being is called "The Way." St Paul, the new entrant to the nascent Christian community of believers, makes a huge contribution with his unique style and gifts.

1. Living in God's embrace and in His Certainty

In today’s Gospel, John 10:27–30 Jesus offers one of the most intimate and assuring lines in all of Scripture: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27). In a noisy world, saturated with competing voices — of consumerism, conflict, fear, and ego — what does it mean to hear and follow the voice of the Shepherd? The task is enormous. God asks us to walk in the Spirituality of the Risen Lord, always embracing joy and peace in our hearts, whatever things come into our lives. 

Restored to Lead: Peter and the Power of Grace

03rd Sunday of Easter: May 04, 2025

Readings: Acts 5:27–32, 40–41; Psalm 30:2, 4–6, 11–13; Revelation 5:11–14; John 21:1–19

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here:  https://youtu.be/wCXYbRk1pVc

There is always a tussle between good and bad in our lives. It is a challenge of human weakness and divine grace. Our human nature is tossed by different pulls and powers. Ultimately, God is the referee. He knows the best in us. He delivers what is good for us. From a quick reactionary temperament of Peter, he turns out to be a leader of the rest of the group. The blessings of Jesus continue to empower him as a strong leader in the early church. However, the encounter of Peter with the Risen Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias defines the future of the Church.  Such encounters in our lives, too, turn out to be moments of emptiness to moments of grace. In fact, the Risen Christ calls us by name, feeds us, forgives us, and sends us forth.

1. From Failure to Fulfillment

Today’s Gospel, taken from John 21, is one of the most tender and transformative resurrection appearances of Jesus. It is a story not just of a miraculous catch of fish, but of healing, restoration, and a renewed call to discipleship. The disciples, led by Peter, have returned to what they know best—fishing after the death of Jesus on Calvary. But they catch nothing all night. This echoes the futility we often experience when we try to move ahead with our lives without the guidance of the Lord. We strive, we labour, we try to manage things on our own—and we come up empty.