Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
Usually, a feast that falls on a Sunday is missed, and the Sunday liturgy is celebrated. In some cases, however, the feasts are so important that they are recognized even if they fall on a Sunday, as with the Feast of St. Peter and Paul.
These two men, whom we honor this weekend, are pillars in the growth of the Church on earth. Saints Peter and Paul have much in common, even though they were tasked to preach the Gospel to different groups.
As with every believer, keeping the faith is not always simple, but these Saints give us an example. St. Paul eloquently describes faithfulness: “I have finished the race; I have kept the faith… From now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me.” He ends his thoughts by stating that Jesus will reward him and those who have longed for God’s appearance. Finishing the race is often preceded by doubts and actions that hardly seem saintly or righteous.
This was the case with Saints Peter and Paul. When Andrew brought his brother, Peter, to hear St. John the Baptist preach, he met Jesus, who renamed Peter, the Rock. Peter’s failures only grew after his initial meeting with the Lord. Upon questioning Jesus’ advice to throw his nets in a different area to catch fish, Peter’s arrogance toward Jesus changed into his recognition of his sinfulness by questioning the Lord’s might.
This wasn’t the end of Peter’s folly, though. For his obstinacy in accepting Jesus’ mission, he was reprimanded with the harsh words, “Get behind me, Satan.” On another occasion, a storm broke out while Peter was fishing, and Peter challenged Jesus to have him walk on the water. Jesus granted him his wish, but when his faith faltered, he began to sink. Jesus saved him from his weak faith and brought him to safety.
Who can forget when Jesus predicted at the Last Supper that Peter would deny him, and he brashly replied he would never deny Jesus. We all know the end of the story. Even after Peter encountered the risen Jesus, Jesus rehabilitated and questioned him three times about his love for him. Peter undoubtedly failed to be a model disciple before he went all in for Jesus and his mission of salvation.
On the other hand, St. Paul’s life illustrates the unpredictable nature of growth in belief and dedication before he met the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. Paul the Zealot persecuted Christians and admitted to it when addressing the Galatians. “For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.”
Once converted, St. Paul’s life was not easy. He was somewhat an outsider, for God did not choose him to be one of the twelve Apostles. However, he considered himself an Apostle of Jesus Christ and struggled with the early Church to defend the Gentiles as full members of the Body of Christ. His life was always one of physical and mental hardship, suffering persecution for his preaching and repeatedly having to rally the wayward flocks under his care.
Both Peter and Paul ran the good race, not because they avoided failure, but because they carried the crosses of weakness and failure. They persevered because of Christ. Paul says it was because the Lord stood by him and gave him power that he was able to proclaim the whole message to the people. Their ultimate profession of faith was when they gave their lives for Jesus by being martyred.
Arguably, the two most important men in salvation history have much to teach us about how they lived their lives. Whatever your state in life, the same things occur with every Christian. Our faith during our life wavers, sometimes being strong or relatively weak. If we were to graph the change, we would soon notice the graph would appear filled with peaks and valleys. We are called to hold on as the Apostles, especially during the valley times of life.
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul reminds us that we always need Christ’s grace, forgiveness, and patience. It reassures us that no matter how much baggage we have, it does not define our lives today or predict our future. If we dedicate ourselves to working with God’s grace daily, no matter the obstacles, our dedication to running the good race will not diminish.
The ultimate goal in a Christian life is to keep faith, and Saints Peter and Paul’s example encourages us to trust in the Lord always so we can, like them, keep faith and run the good race.