Standing together on solid ground

A Reflection for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Find today’s readings here.

My great-grandmother’s name was Jeanne. She lived to be 101 years old. For as long as I knew her, she lived in a small house in South Orange, N.J. We would go visit Grandma Jeanne, as we called her, every so often. She would serve us Ovaltine milk and cookies, and we would play basketball in her driveway. She was sweet and gentle. I remember her bright smile, and the way she would shower us with kisses. 

Jeanne had nine children, my grandfather being the oldest. Those nine children gave her 36 grandchildren. And from those grandchildren has sprung over 90 great-grandchildren, a number that is continuing to rise. 

This June I spent a week in Maine with nearly 160 members of my family, from all generations. We ate lobster, went to the beach, took out kayaks—and a great many of us went to church together on Sunday. Grandma Jeanne passed away several years ago. But despite residing in different states and having busy lives, her descendants have stayed connected, taking time off from work and school to spend time together. Some of my cousins I hardly know, and some are my very best friends. But we all see each other. We are family. 

This type of connection is not easy, nor is it accidental. Grandma Jeanne was a devoted matriarch, whose strength came from her delight in each one of us. She loved us all so much that we could not help but love each other. The family remains intact because the generations have been built upon something good and true and permanent—something not easily destroyed. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Simon Peter that he is the “rock” upon which Jesus will “build his church.” When I think of what this type of leadership looks like, I think of Grandma Jeanne, and the foundation she built for my family. Though we may sometimes disagree and grow apart, we always know where we came from and whose example we stand upon. That certainty carries us forward. 

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should think about Simon Peter the same way: as having set a foundation for us that is so strong and resolute it has continued for millennia—moving through disagreements and troubling times. Like my family, Catholics can be certain that we stand upon examples of goodness and faith that are solid and true, stronger than obstacles that work to keep us apart.

 I am grateful to be part of a family—and a church—that is strong as stone. 

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