Today the Church honors two of its greatest apostles. Peter, upon whose faith the Church was built, fertile ground for the seed of the vine, and Paul whose missionary efforts helped to extend the branches of that vine to the ends of the earth.
The word apostle means “one who is sent.” The apostles were sent out to the people, to Jew and gentile, to preach the Word of Christ to a world that did not want to hear the message.
In the time of Peter and Paul, Christianity was new. Its teachings and values were out of step with the mainstream society. For their efforts these apostles were scorned, ridiculed, persecuted, arrested, put on trial and ultimately put to death.
They taught that God has such a great love for us, that He became one of us, took our guilt upon Himself and expiated our sins by sacrificing Himself for our sake. In return, the love of Peter and Paul for God drove them to spread the message of God’s love throughout the world. They endured hardship and suffering because they knew that the Church, established by Our Lord, was a fortress built upon a rock that would withstand all that the devil could conjure up against it, even at the cost of their lives. They knew that the Church would remain, stand fast, and grow.
All of this Saint Peter and Saint Paul were willing to do out of love for God.
What are we willing to do?
Pax Vobiscum
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul