Word to the Wise
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 - June 29: SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles: Day
[Acts 12:1-11; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18; Matt 16:13-19,68]The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. [2 Timothy] "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." [Matthew]
A Palestinian fisherman and a Turkish tentmaker and Roman citizen are two of the biggest figures in the Catholic pantheon of heroes. Peter was called from his fishing boat. Paul was called on the road to Damascus. (Turkish? He was from Tarsus which was in a the Roman province of Celicia in what is now Turkey.) Their individual lives were colorful enough, as the gospels and Paul's letters testify. And they suffered martyrdom around the same time in Rome. From the very outset, they represented two different "sides" of the Church. At least initially, Peter represented the Jewish origins (until his own "conversion" in the Acts of the Apostles, ch. 10) and Paul represented the mission to the non-Jewish Gentiles. The tension between the two "sides" resulted in the Council of Jerusalem [cf. Acts, ch. 15].
In more modern times, they have come to represent two "aspects" of the Church. Peter represents the ministry of unity and teaching authority - the Petrine ministry. Paul represents the "charismatic" or "pneumatic" side - the Pauline ministry with an emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit and creative ministry. These exist in "creative tension" in our Church and find dedicated adherents who want to emphasize one side over the other. My narrative is somewhat oversimplified, but I think I'm on good ground. We celebrate today two faithful men whose lives continue to impact our own faith as Catholics. The least we can do is show some gratitude!! AMEN