As we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, one thing gives me joy: that the gospel is not forced upon people; – you simply witness and inspire and then leave the rest to God. This witnessing may come in different forms: “white martyrdom”, “blue martyrdom” and “red martyrdom”. The apostles Peter and Paul stood firm on their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and paid the supreme prize of red martyrdom; Peter was crucified and Paul beheaded.

We Christians often tend to shy away from accepting the fact that we could glorify God by our death ( John 21: 18-19). We refer to the greatness of the apostles, but easily gloss over the fact that they followed Christ closely resembling him in His suffering and death. The kind of death is not the issue, but one’s state of soul and reason for dying is what matters. And When Christ bids a man come, he bids him to come and die ( Dietrich Bonhoeffer). But the scriptures remind us that “Blessed are those who die in the Lord for they have gone to rest from their labours and their good deeds go with them” ( Revelation 14:13).

Beloved, we need not be afraid because the Lord will always stand by us to give us strength and to protect us from the roaring lion who prowls around seeking for someone to devour ( CF.1 Peter 5:8, 2 Timothy 4:17). Let us then build our faith by paying attention to the word of God so as to overcome the enemy and stand with confidence before the son of man on the last day