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Today is the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. Wow, June is chock-full of Solemnities!
It’s interesting that Peter and Paul are lumped together in a single solemnity, but I think it reveals a beautiful truth. These two men are pillars of the Church. Theirs is the blood from which our faith sprung. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” These two men are giants, so why do we celebrate them together? Shouldn’t we recognize what they each contributed to our faith?
I think this solemnity teaches us about humility. Peter and Paul are not jealous over June 29. They aren’t seeking their own glorification. It’s all about Jesus. Peter and Paul are like two sides of the same coin. Peter was the apostle to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. Paul relied on Peter for instruction in the faith and Peter relied on Paul to help keep him accountable to the commands of the Lord (Galatians 2:11-13). They each had different gifts and played different roles equally celebrated by the Lord.
What matters most, though, is that they were faithful to God above all else. They listened to His commandment to go out and make disciples of all nations, but they did it purely for His sake. They cared not whether they were successful, they just desired to be faithful. They ended up killed just like their God. In earthly terms, they were far from successful in their mission. Paul said it best in today’s second reading. “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. … The Lord will…bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.”
Everything that God invites us to do is meant for our sanctification. Whether it’s successful or not isn’t up for us to decide. As Peter and Paul, we must simply run the race so as to win and not lose what we worked for (2 John 8). The rest is up to God.
-Amanda Benner, Director of Evangelization