Word to the Wise
Friday, June 29, 2007 - Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles
[Acts 12:1-11; 2 timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Maatthew 16:13-19]When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2007 STS. PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES [Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19] (early today because of travel) When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The celebration of the feast of Sts.Peter and Paul provides an opportunity to reflect on the heritage of these two remarkable men. We know from the Gospel of John that Peter was constituted the leader of the Twelve and that he maintained a prominent place, representing, as it were, the roots in Jerusalem. This ministry of leadership is informally referred to as the "Petrine" ministry - basically that of the Pope and hierarchy. On the other hand, we have St. Paul, called especially by Christ and set apart for the missionary task of evangelizing the non-Jewish peoples of the Mediterranean. He has been referred to by some theologians as the "second founder" of Christianity. His strong personality (not that Peter was a wimp!) comes through in his letters. His emotional and "charismatic" approach to church life is informally called "Pauline" ministry Ultimately the ministry of both these very different men (who confronted one another face to face in Jerusalem) hinged on the answer that each gave to the question from Jesus: 'Who do you say that I am?" Peter tended to see Jesus in terms of continuity with Jewish tradition. Paul tended to see Jesus as a break from the Jewish tradition. Ultimately a compromise, which generally favored the Pauline position, was hammered out and ultimately Paul's theology and Peter's leadership both prevailed. Recognizing their influence even in the church of today should give us pause to reflect on how we would answer the question from Jesus, and how we would like to see that answer realized in the church. AMEN
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