Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, apostles
(Acts 12:1-11; II Timothy 4:6-8.17-18; Matthew 16:13-19)
It may be to contrast St. Peter and St. Paul than to compare
them. Peter is Jesus’ first apostle;
Paul in a sense is his last. Peter
worked largely among the Jews; Paul preached mostly to the gentiles. Peter knew Jesus in the flesh while Paul knew
him through the Spirit.
Nevertheless, what the two share outweighs their
differences. Each had an enormous love for
the Lord. Peter professed his love three
times in an appearance after the resurrection.
Paul was more eloquent saying that he counted all his possessions as rubbish
in comparison with knowing Christ. Most
importantly, both Peter and Paul gave their lives testifying to Jesus’ Lordship.
Today we celebrate both Peter and Paul together as patrons
of the Church at Rome. Both were martyred
in the eternal city in the seventh decade of the first century. Both left the Church great legacies there. Peter’s leadership brought the Church out of
Jerusalem to faraway places in the Roman Empire. Paul wrote the Church’s founding theological
tract in his Letter to the Romans.
