Weekly HOMILY for June 29, 2008: Libation and Keys: Symbols of Paul and Peter

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
June 29, 2008

Libation and Keys: Symbols of Paul and Peter


June 29 – The Pallium

Today, our Archbishop, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, is in Rome. He and some others from around the world who were appointed Archbishops since last June 29th are in Rome for a special ceremony.

Every year on this day – on the Feast Day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul – the Pope confers a simple vestment on newly appointed Archbishops.

The vestment is called the pallium and it is a circular band of lamb’s wool worn around the neck and over the shoulders, on top of the vestments for Mass.

The pallium is a symbol of an Archbishop’s unity with the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter. It also symbolizes the role of leadership that an Archbishop has with the bishops, not archbishops, of neighboring dioceses.

We Catholics and practically all Christians see Peter and Paul as the first two great leaders of Christianity.

Peter, you’ll recall, is the one designated by Jesus as first among the apostles and, in effect, the first pope. Paul is the great missionary who early on brought the faith to so many different lands.

Each of these saints, Peter and Paul, has a special message for all of us today, messages that are clearly presented in today’s readings and each of them is captured in a concrete image.

Paul: Libation

For Paul, the image is the word “libation.”

In today’s second reading, Paul begins with these words: “I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation…” For us, the word “libation” means any kind of beverage, such as a coke, lemonade, iced tea, or a coffee.

But for Paul, in this passage, “libation” means a glass of wine sacrificed to the gods. The pagan, non-Christian custom was to pour a glass of wine on the earth as part of a ritual.

They saw this as a sacrifice, as a way of giving yourself and dedicating your life to the gods. Paul uses this pagan, non-Christian idea to express what he is thinking here.

Paul has suffered a great deal and is anticipating that he will be put to death for his faith in Jesus. In fact, both Paul and Peter were martyred for their faith in Rome around the year 64.

Spiritually, Paul was looking upon this as a “libation.” He is making a sacrifice of himself to God, to Jesus, not pouring out wine, but willing to pour out his own blood for the sake of his faith.

And with this expectation, Paul remains positive and hopeful. He uses sports imagery and says, “I have competed well and finished the race, and from now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me.”

So, for his sacrifice, his “libation,” Paul expects not a gold medal or a trophy, but resurrected life with Jesus Christ.

And here is Paul’s message to us. We also face hardships in our lives: the break-up of a relationship, being misunderstood by others, the death of a loved one, the sickness that comes with chemotherapy, and on it goes. We also have sufferings.

Paul’s example calls us to make a spiritual sacrifice, a spiritual libation to God of this suffering. And he calls us to do this with the hope of resurrection and the inner peace that the Lord Jesus offers.

Peter: Keys

That takes us to Saint Peter and the image that he leaves with us is the “keys.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives Peter “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” The “keys” are a symbol of responsibility. Jesus is asking him to take care of his body, the Church.

And specifically, the keys speak of the responsibility Peter will have to open doors for others. Jesus reveals that he is “the way” to the Father and “the way” to eternal life.

And while Jesus has unlocked these doors for us, now he wants Peter to continue this work and that is what the “keys” are all about. This unlocking means opening up for us the mystery of who God is and how we are to relate to God – all revealed by Jesus.

This is also where Jesus’ statement about “binding and loosing” comes in. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

The word “religion” comes from the Latin word “religare” which means “to bind.” The idea is that Peter and his successors, the Pope and the bishops, are to “bind” us to God by opening up the mysteries of God to us and making possible our relationship with God.

And they are to loosen us from those ideas or beliefs or ways of life that do not bind and lead us to God. This is the meaning of the “keys” Jesus gives to Peter.

This image calls us to celebrate, maybe especially today, June 29th, our oneness in faith with the Catholic Church throughout the world. It calls us also to form our faith and our conscience with the guidance of our community of faith and its leaders.

Conclusion

I conclude with one final point.

Peter, in today’s Gospel, professes his faith in Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Paul, in our second reading, humbly and proudly states: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”

With a faith like Peter’s we have the possibility of knowing Jesus as God’s Son. And with a faith like Paul’s, we have the security of God’s overture to us in our daily lives.

The rest is up to us!