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

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