THE SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

The Apostles

St's Peter and Paul have always been stars our faith development but have you ever thought of how different they are – like chalk and cheese!

Peter, as a professional fisherman, was most likely uneducated while Paul was a highly educated Pharisee. Both had very strong feelings about Jesus. Peter recognised him immediately as someone special and came to be the first person to acknowledge him as the Messiah, son of God while Paul considered him to be a heretic and a danger to the Jewish faith.

Simon’s name was changed to ‘Cepha or Peter’ meaning the rock and Jesus made it clear that he would be the rock on which His church would be built because of his faith. Because Saul enthusiastically persecuted all who followed Jesus – even approving the stoning of Stephen - God had to literally knock him to his knees when on his way to Damascus. From this encounter Saul was renamed Paul and given his commission to convert the Gentiles.

They didn’t always agree on how to continue their conversion activities yet, by the grace of God and their Holy Spirit gifts both have had the most enormous influence on our faith and both followed Jesus willingly to martyrdom in Rome.

So why do we celebrate a day for the two of them together? On pondering their differences it occurs to me that the very example of two vastly different personalities with very different gifts is a wonderful lesson to us that we must never compare ourselves to others who travel with us on this journey of faith.

I may not have the depth of spiritual gifts of my fellow Catholics or I may have more,  but whether I am rich or poor in the recognition of God, I am called to do my ‘bit’ in spreading his message.

We may be called to bring clarity of faith to a spouse, a family member, a friend or an arena of thousands, but we must recognise that call to proclaim Jesus as Lord within our life daily – in the way we speak, dress, act; read and ponder the Bible and most importantly how we treat others whether speaking of them or to them.

Hopefully people who know you and I, know our commitment to God.

Hopefully for each of us, if we left the area those we left behind would mourn our absence because  they have seen Jesus in us.

Deidre Herring