Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
In the Catholic faith, we acknowledge according to the Scriptures that “no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11), yet in the Gospel today Jesus Christ himself declares to St. Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Again, Scripture states that “you have one Father, who is in heaven”; nevertheless, St. Paul tells the people to whom he preached in Corinth, “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Mat. 23: 9; 1 Cor. 4:15). Paradoxical affirmations like these seem to be dispersed throughout the Bible; and on this great feast day of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, they can come to the forefront. Does the honor properly given to the saints compete with the importance of Jesus?
The answer is no. What might first appear as a competition or a contradiction actually turns out to be a beautiful truth of our faith: In God’s great love, the Lord has given humanity a share even in his redemptive work. In his theological vision, St. Ignatius notes this mystery when he affirms that “love consists in a mutual sharing” both on the part of the lover and the beloved. Well, if God is the great Lover of humanity, then naturally the Lord, as far as possible, will desire that humans participate in his redemptive work as co-laborers in his mission. Therefore, today especially, we honor two exceptional co-laborers and stalwart pillars of the Church in the figures of Sts. Peter and Paul. We commemorate how St. Peter was appointed by Christ to strengthen and lead his brothers and sisters in the community of the faithful. We celebrate the relentless toils of St. Paul as he poured himself out like a libation in order to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. Today we remember Christ Jesus’ redemptive work shared with humanity.
And so, we may ask ourselves, “how is Christ Jesus calling me to share in his redemptive work?”. How, like Sts. Peter and Paul in the early Church, can I be a co-laborer in Christ’s salvific mission in the world of today?