by Br. Nicholas Hejka,
O.S.B.
This Sunday, we
celebrate the solemnity of the Apostles Saints Peter and
Paul. The fact that their feast day supersedes the
liturgical celebration of the Thirteenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time shows how important they are to the
Church. In the Preface for today’s Mass, the Church
says of these pivotal Saints of the early Church that “each
in a different way gathered together the one family of
Christ.”
Saint Peter is renowned for his
boldness, such as when he confessed Jesus as “the Christ,
the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). He also
sincerely loved Jesus and desired to follow Him. This helped
him to recover from his failures, as when he denied
Jesus. Similarly, it helped him to be docile to the
Spirit’s guidance, baptizing the Church’s first Gentile
converts. We can be like Saint Peter by unashamedly
speaking about and living the faith, hope, and love we have
in Christ. Like him, we can follow with trust and boldness
wherever the Spirit leads us in each moment.
Saint Paul faced many dangers and
hardships in his ministry (see II Corinthians 11:23-28 for
some of these), but he could not be stopped. He was
“poured out like a libation” (II Timothy 4:6) as he gave
everything he had to proclaim the Gospel and win brothers
and sisters for Christ. His letters show his great
love for his spiritual children. When they did what
was right, he rejoiced exultantly; when they were going
astray, he showed his distress, sorrow, and even
indignation. We can learn from Saint Paul’s example by
giving all we can to seek the best for each person God sends
into our lives, whether that means inviting them to embrace
faith in Christ or helping them in a time of need.
Ultimately, both Saint Peter and
Saint Paul gave their lives for the faith they boldly and
relentlessly proclaimed and lived. Now that they are
in Heaven, their boldness, dedication to the Gospel, and
love for us are greater than ever before. Right now,
they are interceding for us, that God may bring us to
eternal salvation with them in our heavenly homeland.
They have left us their teaching and example to help us
along the way; let us take it to heart and meet them there
when God calls us home.
Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!
*Photo courtesy of:
https://graciasmedallamilagrosa.blogspot.com
