Tomorrow is the feast day for St. Peter and St. Paul. We shouldn’t let such an important feast day to pass without some recognition. The feast of St. Peter and St. Paul is one of the Church’s oldest feasts, dating to approx. 250 A.D. We celebrate this feast…first because we know more about these two Apostles than any of the others. But we celebrate mostly because they had the biggest influence on early Christianity, and the very beginning of the Church. The New Testament itself contains more of Paul’s writings than any other author.
The feast comes in recognition of the way Christ structured his Church, with Peter as the head. The Gospels were not written down until well after Peter’s death, so with all that we know of Peter, the authors of the Gospels obviously want us to know how important Peter was, and that it was a leadership position that Jesus was creating when he made Peter the “Rock” and gave him the keys of the Kingdom. So, Peter is recognized at the first Pope, and that leadership position is handed down to his successors through the lineage of Popes.
Paul…is often referred to as the 13th Apostle, we don’t know if he ever met Jesus personally, earlier in his life. He was a Jewish Pharisee and very dedicated to a strict observance of Jewish Law and tradition. He viewed those who believed in Jesus as heretics and was known to seek them out for his severe punishment. He was present at the stoning of the Apostle Steven, the 1st martyr.
Then came Paul’s conversion; a very well-known story, where he was knocked off his horse by a blinding light, and becoming literally blind, but after a short conversion process, regains his sight and he became one of Jesus’ most ardent disciples. He was a very powerful preacher with a mission largely to the Gentiles.
It’s Church tradition that Peter and Paul died just a short time apart in Rome during the persecution by the Emperor Nero. Tradition also has it that Peter was crucified upside down, since he considered himself unworthy of a death like Christ. Paul, however, was a Roman citizen making him exempt from crucifixion. Roman Law held that crucifixion was too horrible of a death for any of its own citizens. So, Paul was beheaded.
Just a side note, it’s on this Feast Day of St. Peter and Paul that newly appointed Archbishops are presented with their Palliums. I’m sure you’ve heard Pope Francis has officially combined Juneau Diocese with the Anchrorage ArchBishop Belisario instal ___ Sept Anch 17th, haven’t heard, but I’m guessing Belisario will get his ____? I won’t go into what a Pallium is, now, but if you have any questions, ask me after service.
We celebrate this Feast Day to remind us of the hardships and the sacrifices that…not only Saints Peter and Paul endured, but also many of Christ’s disciples through the centuries; and what any of us could be called to choose.
And that leads us right into today’s Gospel; which opens with some very shocking words: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.” Who of us who are parents don’t love our children dearly? And our parents? Jesus’ words would have also been very shocking to the Jewish people of Jesus’ time, who considered family ties more important than anything. But his words are very reminiscent of what he tells us it the 1st a greatest commandment; to love God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strength, and with all our soul. Basically, we’re told to love God above anyone or anything in this world. The expression of our love for God should clearly be seen in all that we do and say and the manner of which we accept trials and suffering while defending our faith. The Apostles and many early Christians gave up everything out of love for God. Many of the saints through the centuries sacrificed everything. And in today’s world we only have to look to the Christians in the middle east to understand what defending our faith could cost. Although, we are very fortunate in this country, and not all Christ’s disciples are called to Martyrdom, but as today’s Gospel clearly tells us, we are called to put God first in our lives.
Putting God first, also means, being able to recognize God in others. And that’s where Jesus leads us as he continues in today’s Gospel: “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me…truly I tell you none of these will lose their reward.”
Hospitality was one of the great virtues of the Old Testament times. They believed that each person should be welcomed as though one were welcoming God himself. Just like our 1st reading where Elisha was welcomed into the home of a generous lady in Shunem. She recognized the presence of God’s prophetic spirit in him, and in the end, she was greatly rewarded. This was a beautiful story of generosity, hospitality, and the love of God. Jesus moves this virtue of hospitality into Christian times in today’s Gospel. “Whoever receives you, receives me.” In today’s world, we often get so self-absorbed in our own lives that we fail to recognize the presence of Christ in others. Just like the scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus’ time; we have our own preconceptions about where God should be, what he should look like, or be like. The scribes and Pharisees were so self-absorbed, they failed to see God in Jesus himself. They wasted their opportunity to experience the presence of God, because they had already decided what God should be like. We need to let God be God and let him express himself in others.
Today, let us pray for the courage to defend our faith, whatever the cost; and pray for an openness to God’s presence often in ways we least expect, and in other people. When we practice this virtue, then then the stranger among us is no longer a stranger, but a member of the family…. welcome…like Elisha, to enjoy a room and our church.
I don’t think we have any visitors here today, but when our world gets back to somewhat normal, I hope any visitors would feel the presence of Christ in our community, just as we would see the presence of Christ in them.