Filipino Ministry of Northern Virginia at 26037 Rachel Hill Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 US - June 29th,  11th Sunday Ordinary Time 

Building One Family of Christ

Sts. Peter & Paul are two primary pillars of the universal church. It is said that the celebration the Feast of Peter and Paul together was evidenced in the middle of the third century. This commemoration, however is not to focus on these two great men nor discuss their pastoral and theological discourse. Rather, this feast is for us to see what God has built through Peter and Paul and i.e. “One family of Christ.” This is God’s plan for the church as Paul mentioned it in his letter to the Ephesians, “To unite everything in Christ.”                                                                                                                         

How did Peter and Paul bring about this union if in their lifetime they did not work closely together? Peter and Paul were so different. Peter was called by Jesus, while Paul perhaps had never seen Jesus face to face. Peter was called the Apostle of the Jews while Paul was called the Apostle of the Gentiles.  In his letter to the Galatians, Paul said, “On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles”(Gal.2:7-8). Thus they worked in different fields.                                             

They too disagreed with one another in certain points. It was told in Paul’s letter to the Galatians that he opposed Peter for not eating with the Gentiles. “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.  Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group”(Gal.2:11-12).
 

How can there be unity if they were not always in agreement with each other? Peter belonged to the conservative and institutional church while Paul was more of a charismatic type. Well, they maybe different but they have the same goal and that is to preach the love of Christ. Let us not forget that unity in the church does not always mean uniformity. I remember a story of a priest who overheard the leaders of his parish arguing during a meeting.  He asked what’s going on. One said that they were trying to decide on how they can achieve their goal. Thus, one suggested that they go to a picnic. The other suggested that they go on a retreat, and still someone suggested that they be given a seminar. The priest asked them again what were these suggestions for and what is their goal and they said, “Unity ” (Bro. Andrew Maria).                                                                                    

We are united not because we are the same. There is unity because there is sharing of gifts and charisms. If both of us have a sandwich and soda, we have the same meal but it does not bring unity only uniformity. But if I have a soda and you have a sandwich and we split and share it with each other, it is here where unity happens. Hence, in our church we need the institutional leadership of Peter and the vibrancy of Paul’s charismatic vision. Our differences should not divide us but rather it should make our sharing more meaningful and enriching. It is because we are different that we have so much to share. Peter and Paul were both called by Christ. God calls us too. We are different but we have the same goal. What unites us in the church are Christ’s love for us, and our intention to respond to His love.                                       

                                                                                                Rev. Fr. Clod V. Bagabaldo