Word to the Wise
Saturday, June 29, 2024 - June 29: SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles: Day
[Acts 12:1-11; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18; Matt 16:13-19]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] "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]
The figures of Peter and Paul stand like giants in the Church. They are not just figures from the past but stand for two major aspects of the Church's ministry - leadership and outreach. In the gospel passage today, Jesus gives Peter "the keys to the Kingdom of heaven" and calls him the "rock" on which the Church is to be built. His successors in leadership gradually established the papacy as we know it now. The story of the call of Paul is celebrated on January 25th, the feast of his conversion. His ministry highlights the role of the Holy Spirit working through all baptized Christians in the charisms given to each to be shared in service. For this reason, theologians speak of the "Petrine" and "Pauline" ministries in the Church - the former referring to the Pope and bishops, the latter referring to the everyday proclamation of the gospel by all baptized Christians. (Some also speak of a "Marian" aspect of the Church that emphasizes care and nurture of the members of the Body of Christ.)
The "Petrine" ministry is not limited to the Pope. It is exercised in varying degrees by all those who hold positions of authority and leadership in the Church. The "Pauline" ministry is not limited to those who are ordained or members of religious orders. It is shared by all of us who are called by baptism to be "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart..." [1 Peter 2:9]. In celebrating the feast of these two great saints, we celebrate ourselves as the Body of Christ, called to be in the words of Vatican II, "the Light to the Nations" [Lumen Gentium].
AMEN