From our Pastor’s Desk

Dear Family:

We remember today Saints Peter and Paul, the principal pillars of the Church, who guided the early Christians. Both died as martyrs for the faith in Rome, in the early 60s, just thirty years after the death of Jesus. Saints Peter and Paul are probably the most known of all the saints in the Catholic Church. What makes them so famous is that both of them were chosen by Jesus in a very special way for the building of the Mystical Body of Christ.

Saint Peter was the son of Jona and brother of Andrew. He was a professional fisherman from Bethsaida, a fishing town on the Lake of Galilee. He might have been a follower of John the Baptist. It was his brother Andrew who introduced him to Jesus, and Jesus who changed his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter. Jesus made him the leader of his apostles. At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus promised to make him the head of his Church, and the risen Jesus confirmed Peter’s precedence. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired Peter’s Proclamation of the Good News to all in Jerusalem on the day of the Pentecost bringing the Church into living action. Peter made missionary journeys to Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea and convened the first Council in Jerusalem.

Saint Peter wrote two epistles addressed to the whole Church. He was martyred by upside down crucifixion under the emperor Nero. Peter was buried in the nearest cemetery which was on top of Vatican Hill and St. Peter’s Basilica was later built on top of Peter’s tomb, with the main altar being directly on top of his tomb. The mission of Saint Peter was twofold. First of all, he was chosen by Jesus to lead the Catholic Church in the early stage of its foundation after the Lord had departed from earth. Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of God. Saint Peter was the first Pope, he having been personally chosen by Our Lord Jesus. Secondly, Saint Peter was chosen to lead most of the Jewish people into the new Covenant of grace, especially those who accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Saint Paul the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and this greatest missionary was a Roman citizen by birth as he was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, a Province of Rome. His original name was Saul. He was trained as a tentmaker and practiced that trade. As a Pharisee he was sent to Jerusalem by his parents to study the Mosaic Law under the great Rabbi Gamaliel. Well-versed in the Scriptures, he became a religious fanatic and was ready to destroy the Christian faith. When Stephen was stoned to death by Jewish fanatics, Saul was there to support them. But he was miraculously converted on his way to Damascus to arrest the Christians. He made several missionary journeys, converted hundreds of Jews and Gentiles and established Church communities. He wrote 14 epistles.

He was arrested and kept in prison for two years in Caesarea and two more years in Rome. Finally, he was martyred by beheading at Three Fountains in Rome. Paul was also buried in the nearest cemetery and the Basilica of St. Paul’s outside the Walls was later build on top of his tomb, with the main altar being directly on top of his tomb. Saint Paul, not originally a member of the twelve apostles that were chosen by Jesus, came into the picture a little later.

When St Peter was instituting the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul was persecuting the early Church Christians. Faithful to God, Paul had not perceived that in Jesus the fullness of God was pleased to dwell bodily, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the Blood of His Cross. The conversion of Paul, known then as Saul, came when he was approaching Damascus. A light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground off his horse and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:3-4) While St. Peter had been chosen to bring most of the Jewish people into the Body of Christ as stated before, St. Paul was chosen as God's instrument to bring the name of the Lord before the Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel. (Acts 9:15) As Biblical history teaches us, St. Paul played a major role in the early days of the Church in bringing a great number of the gentiles into the Catholic Church. In a manner of speaking, St. Paul can be viewed as the spiritual father of all of us who would be considered as Gentiles, we not being members of the Jewish nation. If there are members of the Church here today who are of Jewish ancestry, St. Peter would be considered their spiritual father.

It is interesting to note the personalities of both Peter and Paul. Peter was impetuous—on Holy Thursday night telling Jesus that he would die with him if necessary (John 13:37) but later that night he denied he knew him. We also remember Peter’s objection to Jesus’ prediction that he would suffer and die in Jerusalem and Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan because the way you think is man’s way and not God’s way.” (Matt 16:23) Yet what made Peter a suitable candidate for Jesus’ call was his love for Him, so three times Jesus asked him if he loved Him and asked him to look after the flock (John 21:15-19). Paul was a controversial character in his own way. He had a fiery personality. In his early life he channeled that fire towards persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem, even witnessing the death of Stephen, the first martyr for Jesus.

After his conversion, Paul’s preaching was fiery and upset the Churches. In Acts we read that Paul then returned to Tarsus, and the next sentence says it all: “the churches throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria were left in peace.” Paul spent 10 years back in Tarsus before he began his preaching. It was a time for him to cool down and learn what the death and resurrection of Jesus meant for us all. Paul was a highly educated Pharisee, and it would be only someone like him who could see that the Jewish expectations were fulfilled in Jesus. Paul had the strong personality needed for that daring challenge. My brothers and sisters in Christ, if you have not done so as of yet, now is the day to start answering your call to preach and defend the Gospel of Christ according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Today is the day, not tomorrow, for tomorrow may be too late. Today is the day to start preaching the Word of God to your spouse, your children, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends, your co-worker, to all those with who you come in contact to ensure that you will not neglect your calling by allowing an opportunity to pass without spiritual results.

As we look at the personalities of Peter and Paul, we see that God called them to use their personalities to spread the Gospel—Peter to use his impetuous love to look after the flock, and Paul to use his training as a Pharisee and his strength of character to ensure that the non-Jewish people would be welcomed into the Church. It is a reminder to us that our talents and our weaknesses too can become God’s means of helping others, if we allow. We do not have to be perfect for God to work through us; God can work through us, faults and all, as he did with Peter and Paul. God called them, as He is calling us, to be One Body, One Spirit, One Family!

Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Michael the Archangel, Pope Saint Pius X, St. Charbel and St. José Gregorio Hernández, pray for us.

Yours in Christ Jesus!
Fr. Omar