Homilies & Thoughts

Consider the ditches we find ourselves in, those hidden places where the soul feels battered and weary. Everyone, at some point, knows intimately what it means to lie wounded, stripped bare by circumstances we never imagined. It might be a betrayal by someone we cherished deeply, a rejection that stings in silence, or simply the unbearable weight of daily expectations. Indeed, we often find that the deepest cuts come from the sharp tongues or cold indifference of those nearest to us, those who know precisely where our vulnerabilities lie. Pride, envy, greed—these are the thieves that rob us of peace, leaving us isolated and desperate in our own private ditches.

“Peace to this household.” With these simple yet powerful words, Jesus teaches us precisely how we are to approach others. Notice that the first step of evangelization, the first moment of witnessing to Christ, is not a catechism quiz or a doctrinal declaration; it is an offer of peace, an opening of the heart. Peace prepares us for genuine communion. It allows us to sit down together at one table, to share a meal, and, in doing so, to encounter Christ himself.

In Caesarea Philippi, Christ posed a piercing question to his closest friends, a question that challenges each generation anew: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter’s bold reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” captures not merely a statement of belief, but a decisive moment of revelation, a recognition not shaped by human convenience but illuminated by divine grace.

Peter’s affirmation and Jesus’ subsequent response remind us that the Church is not a human invention, nor is it a mere institution subject to popular opinion or marketplace demands. Rather, it is Christ’s deliberate act, a divine gift structured to safeguard the purity of truth and the sanctity of the sacraments. The Church, as Christ established it upon Peter, remains steadfast precisely because it is rooted not in human preference but in heavenly authority.