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 SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: THE APOSTLES: REVEALERS OF CHRIST

(Matthew 16:13-19)

Today, the two princes of the Church are celebrated in a solemn manner: Peter and Paul. One was called to be an Apostle during the earthly ministry of Christ; the other was called after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. One was called from fishing fish to fishing men for the kingdom, the other was called on his way to fish men of God to end the word of God and he was assigned the mission of fishing souls for the Christ he persecuted. One stands for the authority and sacred tradition of the Church, and the other was a missionary.

 

SOME THINGS THEY SHARED IN COMMON: LESSONS FOR US

The two sinned against the Lord and betrayed Him. The two were touched by the forgiving hand of Christ after His resurrection. The two confessed Jesus as their Lord. The two respected each other. They corrected themselves and rebuked each other’s wrongs when necessary. The two had great passion for the kingdom of God. The two followed the footsteps of Christ and gave their lives for the preaching of the word of God (they died in Rome, Peter by crucifixion, Paul was beheaded).

Yes! Peter and Paul preached. Peter preached more to the Jews and Paul became Apostle of the Gentiles.

In the two, we saw people who were conscious of answering the question: 'Who do people say I am?' 

They carried the Good News to the ends of the earth, clearing the misunderstandings about Christ and Christians. On Pentecost, Peter ensured that he cleared the world's prejudice about Christ. He only excused them based on their ignorance: "You never knew or you wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory". Paul's mission from place to place was to teach people about the person of Jesus Christ and His resurrection power.

Thus, something common in the apostles we celebrate is that they came in contact with Christ, came to know Him personally and convincingly, fearlessly preached to the world about Him. Can the world know Jesus better through you?

Do you even know Jesus beyond what people know about Him? Have you developed any personal touch with him as your Lord and master? Are you ready to do anything special for God outside what every other person does?

In these two preachers, let us learn to combine the two tasks of proclamation of the word within and outside our environment, within our lives, and outside our lives to touch others.

God uses us in different ways. There is unity in diversity. No matter the gift we have, let it not lead us into the temptation of breaking away from the cornerstone.  Paul remained humble even though his gift was blooming everywhere.

The Church of Christ is not only founded on the scriptures (sola scriptura) but also on the traditions. Peter represented and preserved the tradition. Paul held to it firmly and would write in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: "The tradition I received is what I deliver to you..."

Let us not break away from the traditional teachings of the Church in our attachment to the new systems of evangelization.

We have our different roles. We should respect each other’s' roles and contribute to the edification of the Church. We are called to be ambassadors and missionaries of Christ to wherever we find ourselves.  Let us not make a show of ourselves but allow Christ to shine in and through us.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

LET US PRAY

We thank You, Lord, for the Apostles Peter and Paul. Help us through their prayers to be worthy instruments of the message of salvation to our world today and always through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

Happy Sunday to you.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh