My dear brothers and sisters

We are a community that remembers our ancestors in faith. The lives of St. Peter and Paul speak to us of God's power to transform and redirect our paths. Their lives were completely changed by their encounter with Jesus. The various twists and turns in their journeys continue to surprise us—as they surely surprised them as well! What Paul says (2 Timothy 4:7) could just as easily have been said by Peter: “I have run the race; I have kept the faith.” Here, Paul is not merely referring to doctrinal fidelity; rather, he speaks of fulfilling what faith demands: to witness and proclaim belief in Jesus to both believers and non-believers.

His words resonate deeply today, giving us insight into both the cost and the joy of discipleship. In Peter and Paul, the strength to embrace martyrdom did not come from human ability. As Jesus told Peter, it was not flesh and blood that revealed his identity, but the Father in heaven (cf. Mt 16:17). Similarly, it was by God’s grace that Saul came to recognize the Lord Jesus as the very one he was persecuting. In both cases, human freedom— essential for the act of faith—relied on the working of the Holy Spirit.

The faith of the apostles is the faith of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Since Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi, “Every day, in the Church, Peter goes on saying: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (St. Leo the Great). From that moment until today, countless Christians of every age and culture have proclaimed this same victorious faith.

Rev. Julio Fernandez