Homily: Feast of St. Peter and Paul
Feast of St. Peter and Paul (Matthew 16:13-19) “The Keys and the Sword”
Peter and Paul are the two most important leaders in the early church. We often see them depicted in churches today. Often, they have statues on either side of the sanctuary. Peter is usually holding a set of keys. Paul has a sword in his hand.
Most people probably know why Peter is holding the keys. We have reference to this in the Gospel today. Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah in the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus tells him that he will hold the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
In ancient times the chief advisor to a king would often wear a symbolic key on his robe that was a representation of the power that advisor had. People would have to pass through the advisor to get access to the king.
It is probably less clear to people why Paul holds a sword when he is depicted in Christian art. Paul says in Ephesians 6:17, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, the word of God.” Paul considers the scriptures a powerful tool for spreading the word of God.
In the Bible the sword is used to represent scripture. Usually, a two-edged sword is the image used. This sort of sword cuts two ways. Many times, the scriptures cut two ways. The word of God can both condemn and reassure.
Paul was very learned in the scriptures and Theology. He has been said to be the second founder or Christianity. He wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. He also was the earliest New Testament writer.
We might say that St. Peter provided the emotion for the Christian movement while Paul provided the intellect. Without the two of them Christianity probably would not have been passed on to the next generation of Christians.
We see them disagree strongly at times in the Bible, but they had the same goal which was to preserve and spread the Christian message. They are examples to us of how two people can reach a compromise and move forward for the greater good.
Reflection Questions:
- Peter was impetuous. At times he acted before he thought. Do I ever do that? What kind of trouble has it caused me?
- Paul was a type A person who always pushed to get things done. Why do we need type A people? What is the drawback to having such a personality?
Dear Parishioners,
Each week we have a construction meeting to monitor progress on the new addition to our church. We had one today. We are moving forward. We could say that this is the trickiest part of the project because what is below ground is hidden from our eyes. The foundation must be set on solid footings. What has been found is that the ground the old rectory was built, is not too stable.
There were at least two previous structures that were on the site next to the church. One set of structures were two houses that served as a convent for the religious sisters. The convent was torn down and the basements were filled. The rectory that was built in about 1960 was constructed over this fill.
Today, there are many more requirements for construction. The soil must be compacted to just the right degree. Because of this, we are having to take a lot of soil away and bring a lot of gravel in. Taking these precautions, we should have a solid base for our building.
On this Feast of St. Peter and Paul we want to build our church on rock as Jesus built his church on rock. Then we will have a sound structure.
May Our Lady pray for our country, as the Fourth of July approaches.
Fr. Mark