Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – the two foundational pillars of the Church.  They came from completely different backgrounds and were far from perfect, but they were open to grace. And because of their response to that grace, the entire world was changed.

St Peter, the first Pope, was a simple fisherman from Galilee. Our Lord called him with the words, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and he left his nets behind and followed Him. It was Peter who first confessed JESUS as “the Christ, the Son of the living God”, and to whom the Lord then gave “the keys of the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:16-19). Peter, during the Passion, famously denied three times that he even knew JESUS and ran away in fear. But Our Lord never gave up on him. After the Resurrection, JESUS gave Peter a second chance by asking him three times, “Do you love Me?” Three times Peter said yes, and then JESUS responded, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15-17). With that, Peter became the first Pope – the visible head of the Church on earth. And after being filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter, now fearless, stood as the visible head before the crowds in Jerusalem and boldly proclaimed, “This JESUS God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses … Repent and be baptised, every one of you in the name of JESUS Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:32, 38). That day 3,000 souls were baptised into the Church (Acts 2:41).

St Paul started as Saul of Tarsus – a zealous Pharisee who believed he was doing God’s Will by persecuting Christians, and he was present when St Stephen, the first martyr was stoned to death (Acts 7:58). Not long after, JESUS intervened by appearing to him on the road to Damascus saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). From that moment he belonged entirely to Christ, and following his conversion and baptism, he became the Church’s greatest missionary. Paul travelled across the Roman Empire, preached in synagogues and prisons, was beaten, shipwrecked and faced rejection, all for the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of souls. He also wrote letters, many of which became part of the New Testament.

The incredible thing is that both Peter and Paul died as martyrs in Rome, around 64-68 AD, giving their lives for the same JESUS they had once opposed – Peter out of fear, and Paul out of hatred. Peter was crucified upside down very close to where St Peter’s Basilica now stands. He felt unworthy to die in exactly the same manner as Christ. St Paul, being a Roman citizen, was granted a quicker and less humiliating death by beheading.

So what do these two great saints mean for us? It means your past doesn’t define you. God can use your weakness, your fear, and even your failures. Peter was a denier and Paul was a persecutor, and yet now they are both saints – all because they encountered the mercy and power of Christ. And if He can do that with them, imagine what He can do with you!

So this week, ask for their intercession. If you’ve fallen, don’t stay there. Get up, as Peter did. And if you’re running in the wrong direction, turn around and follow Christ, as St Paul did. God is still calling sinners, just like you and I, to become saints.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC