There are many times in my life as a priest when I feel like Peter in today's first reading. Peter tells Cornelius to stand up when he does him homage, reminding Cornelius that he (Peter) is also a human being like him. It's almost as if Cornelius's well-meaning gesture is a distraction from what Peter wants people to really focus on: Jesus Christ.
Like Peter, there are times in which I get the impression that people see me as being more than a human being, Some people bestow on me certain gestures in which one might treat a king, or think that I am closer to God and more holy. People might tell me, for example, that God listens to my prayers more because I'm closer to him; implying, of course, that others are somehow further from God than I am. Like Peter, in such moments I feel that there is too much focus on me as a priest (who am also a sinner), and not enough on God.
In these moments, I want to remind people with all my heart and soul the core message of today's readings: Christ himself called us to be his friends – ALL of us - and to put on his way of loving. The entire focus of our life as Christians is Jesus Christ. There's nothing more important than accepting his invitation to friendship, and striving to love one another with the fraternal love with which Christ loved.
We are all intimately, equally cherished in God's heart. May we embrace this truth full-heartedly, embrace God’s friendship, and each day learn more and more to love as God loves.