Peter denied Jesus…three times… in order to save his own life. Paul persecuted Christians. So…why do we celebrate these two apostles with a special feast day? Because the story doesn’t end there! In a word: conversion.
Peter and Paul became amazing models for the Church…for us. We do not focus on their failings, but rather their new found message of mercy and reconciliation. By celebrating the conversions of these two apostles, the Church teaches us that it welcomes sinners and failures into the grace and mercy of God. That is good news for us. They, in fact, became powerful preachers of the Word. So can we.
Two different men. Two different lives. Two different opinions on the direction the Church should take! Peter was mostly concerned with preaching to the Jewish communities around him, while Paul was reaching out to the Gentiles. Instead of standing their ground and staying divided, they talked it over. Paul confronted Peter and they found a solution. Led by the Holy Spirit, they were both willing to change for the better of the Church. Listen to the following as it is laid out for us in the Preface of today’s Mass: (The Preface is always said before the Eucharistic Prayer. In a way, it ‘sets up’ or prepares us for the highest point of the Mass. It occurs right before the ‘Holy, Holy.’)
“For by your providence the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul
bring us joy:
Peter, foremost in confessing the faith,
Paul, its outstanding preacher,
Peter, who established the early Church from the remnant of
Israel,
Paul, master and teacher of the Gentiles that you call.
And so, each in a different way gathered together the one
family of Christ;
And revered together throughout the world, they share one
Martyr’s crown.”
We, like Peter and Paul, are not always going to see eye-to-eye. We all have our own opinions of how things should go. Will we, like them, allow the Spirit to work in our lives to iron out our differences with discourse? Will we, like the early church, be open to change as the Spirit guides and leads us? We, like Peter and Paul, are going to make mistakes and fall down from time to time. But the story doesn’t end there for us, either. Just as they both experienced the amazing grace of God, so does God offer that same grace to us. Are we ready to receive it? Are we ready to share it with the world?
[Saints Peter and Paul share the same solemnity on June 29 (today) to honor their martyrdom. Each, however, has their own Feast Day: the Chair of Saint Peter on February 22, and the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25.]