Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
My chains are gone I’ve been set free my God my Savior has rescued me. And like a flood his mercy rains, unending love amazing grace. These lyrics to a Chris Tomlin song ran through my head as I read the readings for today. On more than one occasion I have been with families for extended periods while their loved ones have been shackled by their own illness from which there was no recovery. One time in particular the situation was sad but both the patient and the family were aware and ready for what I like to call life after life. When the patient died you could sense the relief. Although I didn’t sing it out loud my heart sang this Chris Tomlin song. The patient was free of the body in which she had been chained.
Of course chains that bind us are all around us. Many of the chains we create or get into unintentionally. Some we slide into slowly without almost realizing the danger in which we have put ourselves. What holds some bound, others might not see as chains at all. For some, marriage may feel like chains, while for others it may be the most liberating institution. A troubling situation at work may feel like chains to one person while the same situation may not be worrisome to another. In today’s readings, the chains that held Peter and Paul did not bind them.
For St. Peter, the chains were heavy and very real. What did not seem real even to Peter was his rescue and rescuer. It must have seemed surreal. What’s clear is that Peter’s chains could not prevent the Lord’s liberating power. Consider the chains that bind you? Have the chains become so comfortable that you would rather retain them? How could you invite the Lord to unbind your chains?
St. Paul knew chains well, yet he did not let them bind his Spirit. It’s not that Paul was comfortable with the chains and wanted to retain them. For Paul, he understood that the chains didn’t bind his soul. He knew that the chains were only a temporary condition. Paul also knew that he had given his all in the name of his Lord and savior. Paul knew Jesus. He knew that the end of his journey was near and that soon he would meet Jesus face to face. This allowed him to be free; free of fear or worry about the future.
What would it take for us to be free? When the question arises in our hearts; “Who do you say” that Jesus is? How do we answer? Do we really rely on the Lord? Consider what prevents our own ability to trust the Lord. Deep in our heart, how do we answer the question from today’s gospel? Consider what it might take to move that answer to one in which your heart was on fire with faith. A faith that is liberated from the doubts or prejudices which chain a person’s heart.
- Michael Montgomery