St. Peter and St. Paul, called by God
A member of our faith sharing group here at St. Vincent's posted a story about today's feast of St. Peter and St. Paul and reading through it, I found so much I could identify with in my own life.
We know Peter from his many missteps whether from denying Jesus three times that evening, or the cutting off of the ear of the High Priest's servant when they were to arrest Jesus, or even when Peter slipped into the water amidst his doubt, but then Peter comes back with "You are the Messiah" and hits it out of the ballpark, or when his says "Lord to whom shall we go? For you have the words of everlasting life." I even give him credit for even trying to walk on the water.
So many ups and downs for him, yet in today's Gospel Jesus names him the Rock and says "And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church." What a beginning to our story as a Church.
When I think of Paul, I see a ruthless persecutor of Christians who was struck down on the road to Damascus and was transformed into this prolific writer and missionary who carried the Good News to the ends of the earth, and in the end dying for his faith.
Franciscan Media puts his Spirituality in this way
Paul’s central conviction was simple and absolute: Only God can save humanity. No human effort—even the most scrupulous observance of law—can create a human good which we can bring to God as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, from sin, from the devil, and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Jesus.
Paul never lost his love for his Jewish family, though he carried on a lifelong debate with them about the uselessness of the Law without Christ.
As a guy, I can only look up to these giants of our faith, both in admiration for their zeal and tenacity, and in awe for the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in these ordinary and flawed men.
We know Peter from his many missteps whether from denying Jesus three times that evening, or the cutting off of the ear of the High Priest's servant when they were to arrest Jesus, or even when Peter slipped into the water amidst his doubt, but then Peter comes back with "You are the Messiah" and hits it out of the ballpark, or when his says "Lord to whom shall we go? For you have the words of everlasting life." I even give him credit for even trying to walk on the water.
So many ups and downs for him, yet in today's Gospel Jesus names him the Rock and says "And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church." What a beginning to our story as a Church.
When I think of Paul, I see a ruthless persecutor of Christians who was struck down on the road to Damascus and was transformed into this prolific writer and missionary who carried the Good News to the ends of the earth, and in the end dying for his faith.
Franciscan Media puts his Spirituality in this way
Paul’s central conviction was simple and absolute: Only God can save humanity. No human effort—even the most scrupulous observance of law—can create a human good which we can bring to God as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, from sin, from the devil, and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Jesus.
Paul never lost his love for his Jewish family, though he carried on a lifelong debate with them about the uselessness of the Law without Christ.
As a guy, I can only look up to these giants of our faith, both in admiration for their zeal and tenacity, and in awe for the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in these ordinary and flawed men.
A short, but revealing piece on Peter.
A short narrative on St. Paul
From Bishop Barron
