Peter and Paul could not have been more different -- and yet they were not adversaries but pillars of unity.
Sts. Peter and Paul "could not have been more different from one another. Different in their origins, their upbringing, and their character." And these differences were "not only before, but also after they were called" by Jesus, Pope Leo noted today in praying the midday Angelus on this special feast.
Though they followed the one God, he did not make them all the same. "The Gospel is understood and proclaimed by each of them with a specific emphasis," he said.
This is the God, he continued, who reaches both the "centers and the peripheries, the capitals and the most remote regions, through the voices, the faces, and the courageous choices of those who have responded to his call: ‘Follow me!’"
On this feast day we are drawn "into the mission of Peter and Paul, that is, into the mission of Jesus himself. God trusts us – we who are sinners forgiven by him, we who are not perfect – so that his grace may shine through our lives and his power, which transforms evil into good."
The Holy Spirit, in inspiring the biblical authors, willed that their differences should not be concealed, for they are in fact recounted to us as good news. Within the college of the Apostles, Peter and Paul were not adversaries. On the contrary, they became almost the symbol of many other diversities which the one Spirit brings together into unity.
Thus, the Patrons of the Church of Rome experienced the trials of communion; they came to know it, served it and proclaimed it as a sacrament of divine life. Their witness has contributed decisively to ensuring that the Christian presence in history is directed not towards domination, but towards service, unity, and reconciliation.
May the Lord, through the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, grant us the grace to appreciate ever more deeply the catholicity of the Church, to recognize its value in fostering fraternal encounter between individuals and peoples, to avoid whatever erodes or harms communion, and to persevere on the ecumenical path and in attentive and frank dialogue with all.
May Mary, Queen of the Apostles, always protect the People of God, in Rome and throughout the world.
Note: This article is written with an Aleteia translation, as the Vatican's official translation was not available at the time of publication.
