And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19 NABRE)
With the swirl of public discourse threatening religious freedom, as persecutions against Christians are again becoming all too common around the world, despite the tragic costs of too many in the leadership of the Church having demonstrated disgraceful human failings, with the dramatic decline in Church membership, as the lures of false doctrine tug at our reason, it is incredibly difficult to remember that this Church we belong to was founded by Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, while he was here on earth, a man living among men.
Jesus appointed Peter as the rock upon which he would build his church. Today, Pope Francis is the two-hundred sixty-sixth Pope in a continuous line of apostolic succession. Remember Jesus' promise that "the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." Be confident that this present time of trial, testing by fire, and change will not prevail against this Church which Christ began in order that his witnesses might bring word of him to all the world.
Today, on this Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I will recall humbly that I belong to the Church founded by Jesus himself.
Saints Peter and Paul, called by Jesus to bring his Church to all the world, pray for us.
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