Sunday the 30th of June 2024-St Peter and St Paul

Acts 12:1-11/ Psalm 33(34)/ 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18/ Matthew 16:13-19

Today we celebrate two great pillars of the church, Saints Peter and Paul. Peter, a very human flawed man, who denied even knowing Jesus for fear of retribution, but nonetheless was chosen by Jesus to be the first leader of his church on earth. Paul, a dedicated persecutor of the early church, also chosen personally by Jesus as he travelled towards Damascus. The successor to Peter is known to us now as the Pope. Peter led the early church made up of converted Jews in and around what we now call the Holy Land before going to Rome. Paul spread the new faith of Christianity to the Greek world, founding church communities and writing many letters of guidance to them. Paul’s letters, epistles, continue to be the roots of theology in our church with extracts from them read often at Mass. Paul’s influence on the early church is profound and many of his teachings are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.

The interaction between Paul during his missionary work and Peter and the Jerusalem based church is fascinating and serves as a model for church governance. A dispute had arisen regarding the conversion to Christianity by non-Jewish gentiles about them having to be circumcised in the Jewish tradition before becoming Christians. A council was held, and Paul reported back that Peter, James and John had accepted Paul’s mission to the gentile world.

In the first church councils held to decide on matters of discussion or dispute Peter did not exercise his leadership as a dictator. He listened and discussed matters with the Apostles and others and a collective decision was made but with Peter’s approval. This style of governance has served the church well down the ages. The wisdom of having an ultimate arbiter in matters that can cause division and conflict is recognised today. In the successor to Peter, the Pope, we have a single voice expressing the belief of the church. This is a positive situation that, for the most part, leads to cohesion and understanding of the basic truths of our faith. This is not a dictatorship but the pastoral guidance of God’s people on earth, a leader who is at the service of God’s people and listens to their voices in whom the Holy Spirit is also at work. The Pope works in cooperation with the college of apostles, the bishops of our church, in a collaborative ministry of governance in which decision making is shared. Not a democracy but also not a dictatorship. The aim is to form a unified church on earth fulfilling the will of Christ that we should all be one in him.

In the second reading Paul is writing from imprisonment in Rome. He feels that he has completed his mission, run the race to the finish, and is looking forward to his heavenly reward. He seems to have no doubts that after giving his all to the Lord he will receive the victors crown of righteousness. This will bring the grace filled transformation that he mentions often in his writings and having had God’s protection throughout his mission he will be brought to his heavenly homeland.

In the Gospel, one of the most important gospel passages, Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is. Peter, inspired by God, makes his great profession, ‘you are the Christ, the son of the living God’. Jesus then said that he would build his church on Peter, the rock, the gates of the underworld, death, would not hold out against it. To Peter Jesus gave the metaphorical keys to heaven, and the authority to make laws and decisions that were bound both on earth and in heaven. It can already be seen that the church is becoming an organised body with leadership, structure and direction.

The call to us today is to follow the examples of Peter and Paul who planted the church with their blood, sweat and tears. To follow the teachings handed down to us through the authority invested directly onto Peter and the Apostles which has been passed on from generation to generation to the Pope and the bishops of today. If we sever the link between us and this authority and guidance we must look elsewhere for leadership. No other leadership can have the authority that Jesus himself gave to Peter with such confidence. That confidence was borne out of Peter’s recognition of Jesus revealed to him by God. Jesus asks us, as he asked his disciples, ‘who do you say I am?’ Our church is founded on the fulness of life where death has been overcome, we must be rocks like Peter recognising Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God and respond accordingly. That response should be a drive to follow Paul and spread the gospel message far and wide leading to us gaining his confidence in the rewards to come.

God Bless Brendan