We have been journeying through Ordinary time these past several weeks since the end of the Easter season, but perhaps you would not have known it, because we still have not seen the color green at a Sunday mass. We celebrated the solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ these last couple of Sundays. Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, which happens to fall on a Sunday this year. Of all the apostles, Peter and Paul hold a special significance in the development of our faith. As we reflect on the lives of Peter and Paul, perhaps there are some lessons we can learn from them.
First, we can say, that even in the midst of our human frailties and weaknesses, God calls us to serve him and his people. Certainly, we hear of the great faith of Peter and Paul in today’s readings. In the Gospel, we are told of Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, at a time when most everyone else in Ancient Israel still had not figured Jesus out. Paul reflects in his second letter to Timothy about how his life is coming to an end, how he sees his life as having been poured out as a sacrificial drink offering to God, how he sees himself as having kept the faith now that the race is coming to an end. In addition to admiring Peter and Paul for being men of great faith and sacrifice, we also see in Scripture the times that Peter and Paul fell victim to their weaknesses and doubts. For example, on the eve of his passion, as Jesus was leaving the last supper with his apostles, Peter tells Jesus that he will never have his faith in him shaken. Yet, Peter will deny Jesus three times before the cock crows. And Paul, before his conversion on the road to Damascus, in his zeal to blindly follow Jewish law, oppressed Christians by persecuting them and oppressing them, sometime very violently. Indeed, Paul stood by and approved of the stoning of Stephen. Perhaps we can relate to Peter and Paul in this same way in our own journey of faith. There are times when we can be courageous and steadfast in our faith. Yet, in our human weaknesses, we also can deny Jesus like Peter did. We can do this in our words and in our actions, and in our failure to follow God’s law. In our frailties and pride, we can fail to humble ourselves before the Lord just like Paul before his conversion.
Secondly, we can see in Peter and Paul individuals with very different backgrounds and very different ways they respond to their callings from God. Yet, both Peter and Paul were called to work in ministry together, to build up the Kingdom of God in the Early Church and to bring converts to the faith. Peter was called to be a disciple out of his work as a fisherman. He probably did not have much formal education. Peter was a member of the original group of Apostles; he was surrounded by Jewish followers of Christ as they journeyed with him. Peter serve as a leader in the early Church after Christ’s death and resurrection; he tried to serve the interests of the Jewish followers of Christ in the tensions they were having with both the Gentiles and with the other Jews. In some ways, Paul was the opposite of Peter. Paul was a thinker, an intellectual, a well-educated man, a privileged member of the Pharisees. Paul did not know Jesus during Jesus’ life here on earth. Paul felt called to bring the Good News to all, reaching out to the Gentiles in a special way.
Both Peter and Paul could be bold and direct. They clashed and argued at times, but they both became leaders in the Church. Despite their differences, they both greatly influenced the faith that we practice today. They both lived and died courageously for the faith.
Like Peter and Paul, we are called to be missionary in spirit, to be true to the Gospel, and true to the calling God has for each one of us.
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