June 25, 2025

Fr. John Riccardo

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own (Philippians 3:7-12).

Do you love Me more than these (John 21:15).

As I’ve gotten older I have found myself growing more and more empathetic with the Pharisees. I often share with my brother priests, as well as with bishops and deacons, that I find it dangerous to be professionally religious. Preaching the Gospel, celebrating the sacraments, breaking open the Scriptures – these things and many more we do day in and day out as ordained men. And, tragically, it can become routine; we can become used to the magnificent.

This coming week we celebrate the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, who together are recognized as the founders of the Church in Rome. Both were martyred under the Emperor Nero. Peter went first, almost certainly in 64, shortly after the great fire in Rome that burned much of the ancient city and which the emperor himself was probably responsible for setting, or at least was slow to extinguish so that the city could be rebuilt as he wished. The fisherman was crucified, upside down perhaps, in the Circus of Caligula and Nero. The Christian community somehow retrieved Peter’s body, and buried him in a simple, unmarked, tile grave. The grave was hidden inside a pagan necropolis right next to the Circus, allowing the early Church to visit frequently – and they did. It is atop that first century tomb that St. Peter’s Basilica rises in Vatican City State today. Paul went several years later, probably around 67. As a Roman citizen, he was spared the horrific fate that took Peter’s life, and was beheaded.

But here’s the point: both of these apostles were fiercely and passionately in love with Jesus. He was their whole reason for being; life apart from Him made no sense. The words of a recent Church document were oh so true for them: “Knowing Jesus is the best gift that any person can receive. That we have encountered him is the best thing that has happened in our lives. And making him known by our deeds and words is our greatest joy.”

As we celebrate this festive occasion, I’d simply like to beg for prayers for us who are ordained. We are not CEOS, managers, or small business owners. And yet it’s easy some days to fall into that kind of mentality. Like Paul, we are men who have been “taken hold of” by Jesus. Like Peter, we are daily being asked by Jesus, “Do you love Me more than these?” Please pray that through the intercession of these great heroes of the faith we might never lose our first love; please pray that we will not become used to the magnificent; please pray that we will never see ourselves as managers of businesses; please pray that we will strive to be ever more faithful friends of Jesus in all we do and say, and that we will live to invite others by our words and deeds into that same friendship.

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P.S. One of our apostolic values in ACTS XXIX - Mobilizing for Mission, is that we strive to be authentically human. One of the ways we live that out is by shutting down for the first two weeks of July. These weeks are a kind of extended sabbath for us, allowing us an opportunity to rest and let the Lord refresh us in order to better engage in the mission He has entrusted to us when we return. Thoughts from the Trailer will return July 16. God bless you all!

Peter, Paul and the Danger of Being Professionally Religious

God’s Ladders