Word to the Wise
Thursday, June 29, 2023 - June 29: SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles: Day
[Acts 12:1-11; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18; Matt 16:13-19]I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.....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] "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church...." [Matthew]
Sts. Peter and Paul are two of the most significant figures in the history of Christianity. They were, however, very different from one another. Peter was a fisherman and given to very impulsive statements and actions. Paul was an educated Jew, a Pharisee by tradition and a tent-maker by trade. Each encountered Jesus in different ways. Peter was called by Jesus from the lakeshore. Paul was called in a vision on the road to Damascus. They were alike in one very important way - their faith in Jesus, which they maintained until their martyrdom in Rome.
The role of Peter is based in part on the passage quoted from today's gospel. He is designated by Jesus as the leader of the Church. His successor, the pope, is said to exercise the "Petrine" ministry of leadership and unity. The role of Paul is based on his incredible evangelization in person and through his letters throughout the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean area. The "Pauline ministry" is the work of evangelization, guided by the Holy Spirit's gifts. As the Acts of the Apostles tells us [ch. 15], the two roles can, at times, be in tension with one another.
In celebrating this feast day, we commemorate these two important figures, but they are larger than themselves in their representation of two aspects of the Body of Christ. Maintaining these two aspects in balance has been the story of the Church - our story! AMEN