Reflection on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles

We are celebrating the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the founder of the See of Rome and the Apostle of the Gentiles. They are celebrated together because they are both considered foundational pillars of the Church, and tradition holds that they were martyred in Rome on the same day. The Canadian Doukhobors, a spiritual Christian denomination, don’t venerate saints but they celebrate this feast as the Burning of Arms, a call to nonviolence. Lutherans and Anglicans don’t celebrate saints either, but they hold a festival for today’s Solemnity. It used to be a Holy Day of Obligation followed by an octave of celebration. In some places it is a public holiday, and the Tarantella is danced. The Tarantella is a dance of wild abandon.

And no wonder. These two men were holy, chosen by God. Peter was able, by grace, to recognize Jesus, saying “You are the Christ, son of the living God.” And Paul was struck to the ground, surrounded by great light and a voice said, “Saul, why do you persecute me?” And then they went out, both of them,  and did great things. 

Neither of them was perfect. On impulse, Peter wanted to build a temple on Mount Tabor, didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet, denied Jesus at Gethsemane, and yet he was the rock Jesus chose to build the Church. Paul had to be knocked to the ground to stop killing Christians and see Jesus, see the truth, become an apostle of the Word of God. And Paul did like to brag about all his sufferings for Christ. By the way, Scripture is silent on whether Paul was on foot or horseback when God called him.

We don’t love people because they are perfect. Their imperfections touch us. We see one another’s struggles and we reach out to each other. And so we recognize that Peter and Paul rose above their limitations, accepted God’s grace and did great things.

Yesterday we had conversations about Loretto’s mission and how it will extend through time because of work already done and because of people eager to carry on the work. None of us that I heard imagined our work extending through the ages like Peter’s work and Paul’s. But we don’t know that, any more than they did. They thought they were in the end time, that Jesus would return any afternoon. In our day some are actively pushing for Armageddon and the end of time, or at least the end of this world. Jesus will come when he comes. Our task is to seek justice and to love one another, same as always. Today perhaps we can get a glimpse of that truth and dance the Tarantella ourselves, at least in our mind’s eye, graced by Peter and Paul, losing ourselves in God’s love.