Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Monday of the thirteenth week in ordinary time, June 29th, 2026, Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

Delivered by Everine from the Parish of Saint Theresia in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 12: 1-11; Rs psalm 34: 2-3.4-5.6-7.8-9; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8.17-18; Matthew 16: 13-19.TWO CHURCH DOOR HINGES Our meditation today has the theme: Two Church DoorHinges. There was a parish priest who was visiting his people far in thehighlands, far from the local parish church. He found in one of the missionstations a church door that was almost dislodged from where it hung. The mainreason was because the two door hinges had already broken. If the two hingesdislodged completely, then the church door could no longer function as itshould be. The priest spoke with the person in charge of thecommunity station to immediately install new hinges and the church door wouldfunction again. The church cannot be left open because wild animals can enterand cause damages in it. But there were no shops in the village to find newhinges. If they had to buy, they must go to a city that takes about two days.However, the priest found in his bag two hinges already used. The two hingeswere then attached to the church door, even though they were not uniform andnot compatible with the church door.                                                                                                           If we view and understand our Church from thespiritual perspective, which is the People of God, we can describe two profileswho were the foundation of the Church, namely St. Peter and St Paul, with thetwo hinges of the church's door we have just illustrated. Since this holyChurch was founded, these two apostles had played a very important role inmaking the Church's door to function properly. The assignment they receivedfrom Jesus Christ truly made them witnesses of a faith in God that was so genuine. Saints Peter and Paul had pioneered to us  a genuine and dedicated faith to our LordJesus Christ. Peter was the key figure who united, strengthened and rooted ourfaith in Christ. His recognition of Jesus Christ is for us the veryfoundational faith professed on which the faith of the Church is recognized.Paul was a missionary and an inclusive Church man, which in essence gives usthe value of universality of the Church. He testified that he had carried outthat missionary duty to the ends of the earth, to the limits of this world.                                                                                     So the faith testimony of the two apostles to the endof their lives through their martyrdom in Rome, inspired our Church a lifetimededication and commitment to Christ to the end of her long journey of faith. Wemust also be able to follow the example of these two great apostles. Let's giveour two thumbs up for Saints Peter and Paul, two thumbs up for each of us andall of us, all of which we always proud of. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O merciful and generous Lord, look upon usYour sons and daughters who learn from the example of Saints Peter and Paulabout the precious commitment and dedication to You and the Church. May we befaithful in our faith to the limit that You want us to reach out. Glory to theFather and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...