Remembering St. Peter and St. Paul in their distinct missionary work

June the 29th  marks the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul. This joint celebration of these great saints honors two that we can easily relate and identify with. Both were very different people from different backgrounds. Both are united, not only in their distinct missions, but also in their deaths as martyrs.

Peter, the leader, from a fishing background, was considered impetuous and unreliable, yet he was big enough to come back and accept Jesus’ second invitation, this time as leader rather than follower. Peter, “the rock”, stands for solidity, steadfastness and strength.

Paul, a latecomer to Christian belief, was the greatest missionary and a most influential theologian. Considered the dynamic one, he had the courage to move out into the gentile world and he fearlessly gave witness while never giving up the "race".

Both Peter and Paul were deeply concerned with freedom, true freedom. "For freedom Christ has set us free" (Gal 5:1). Both experienced the good news as bringing freedom to their lives. Paul had been a zealot for the law until his meeting with Christ set him free from the letter of the law.

Peter’s liberation from prison was a dramatic sign of the inner freedom he had experienced. Having denied Christ three times, Jesus set him free from his guilt and shame and entrusted him with leadership.

Christ recognized in both Peter and Paul their gifts and their limitations - their humanity.

Let us ask the Lord, that through the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, we may be faithful witnesses of the love of God in our lives. 

Pope Francis on the Feast of Corpus Christi

An excerpt of his homily

Let us strive to follow Jesus to listen to him, to enter into communion with Him in the Eucharist, to accompany Him and in order that He will accompany us. Let us ask ourselves: how do I follow Jesus? Jesus speaks in silence in the Mystery of the Eucharist and every time reminds us that to follow Him means to come out of ourselves and make of our own lives, not a possession, but a gift to Him and to others [...]

We too are gathered around the Lord’s table, the table of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, in which He gives us once again His body, makes present the one sacrifice of the Cross. It is in listening to his Word, in nourishing ourselves with his Body and his Blood, that He makes us go from being a multitude to being a community, from [being strangers] to being [in] communion.

Jesus gives Himself to us in the Eucharist, shares our same journey – indeed, He becomes food, real food that sustains our life even at times when the going is rough, when obstacles slow down our steps. The Lord in the Eucharist makes us follow His path, that of service, of sharing, of giving – and what little we have, what little we are, if shared, becomes wealth, because the power of God, which is that of love, descends into our poverty to transform it. [...]

Let us ask ourselves, adoring the Christ truly present in the Eucharist: do I let myself be transformed by Him? Do I let the Lord who gives Himself to me, guide me to come out more and more from my little fence to get out and be not afraid to give, to share, to love Him and others?

Discipleship, communion and sharing. Let us pray that participation in the Eucharist move us always to follow the Lord every day, to be instruments of communion, to share with Him and with our neighbor who we are. Then our lives will be truly fruitful.