Peter and Paul

29Jun
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’   
-John 21:15-19  


Today, the Church commemorates the martyrdoms of both St. Peter and St. Paul, believed to have taken place in Rome under Emperor Nero’s reign around 64 A.D. Peter is said to have been crucified upside down (at Peter’s request, as he felt he should not be executed in the same fashion as Jesus); because Paul was a Roman citizen, he was likely given a more “merciful” beheading. Peter’s ministry was largely among the Jewish people, while Paul’s mission was focused largely among the gentile converts to Christ. Peter was a simple fisherman who followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, and witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Paul, a rabbi and tent-maker, became a follower of Christ AFTER the Crucifixion, undergoing a conversion of his faith on the road to Damascus. Scholars in the Church have disagreed over how well these two knew/respected one another. Yet we remember that they both suffered a martyr’s fate for being a follower of Jesus Christ.


How easy it is for any of us to focus on the differences between us, to argue that “they” just don’t get it, or that “they” don’t belong in one group or another. Maybe Paul wasn’t willing to die for Peter, or Peter for Paul. But each died witnessing to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus united these two in the Church for ever. 


I am drawn to Christ by his call to care for the least among us, his compassion for the sick and suffering in our world, and his calling his followers to heal, feed, forgive, and love. You and I may not always agree on HOW we take Jesus’ words to heart, but maybe we can at least agree that we are called by Christ to follow this path. Christ assures us that our fate will be similar for those who follow, regardless of our background, our training, the people we hang out with, or even where we live. If we follow Jesus, our lives will be changed forever. Don’t sweat over the differences. When we practice what Jesus called his disciples to do, then we become one with Christ; it is Christ who unites us. Just ask Peter and Paul.


Musical Reflection - Bob Marley - One Love 1984


Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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