Today, we hear a
reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In this letter, we
hear Paul contrast himself to Peter, in which he calls himself the messenger of
the Gospel to the uncircumcised – the Gentiles, while Peter brought the Gospel
to the circumcised – the Jews. It is interesting
how theologians today see the contrast in what Peter and Paul brought to the
early Church. Peter, in many
ways, represents the institutional Church: the Church that sets rules, governs
its dioceses and attends to the doctrines and norms of the Church. Paul, in contrast,
represents the missionary Church: the Church that goes out into the
world and adapts itself to different cultures, proclaiming the Good News of
Jesus Christ. Just as in the
Gospel yesterday, where we can see the importance of being both Mary and Martha
in the way we approach our faith, both in becoming people of action and
believers who reflect upon God’s word, so we can see the importance of both
Peter and Paul to our faith. Pope Francis, in
his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, reflects elements of both
Peter and Paul. Pope Francis
reflects Peter in the way he sees the role of the parish in the community and
in the world “The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an
environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for
dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.” Yet, he reflects
the missionary fervor and spirit of Paul in the way he sees the purpose of the
mass: “The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of
the liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the
source of her renewed self-giving.” Pope Francis
combines different elements of Peter and Paul. He is practical and missionary,
pragmatic and philosophical, wise and resourceful. We ourselves would
be wise and prudent to see both Peter and Paul as examples of faith that we can
emulate on our own journey.
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