On this feast of Peter and Paul listen to a few things they said.

Saturday, 6/29/13

On this feast of St. Peter and St. Paul I want to visit some spots in their letters. From Peter’s Second Letter (2:17), you have words that would be good for your personal motto. On your coat of arms you could engrave, “Honor all men.”

Then, I liked the way Peter shared a precious memory in First Peter 1:17-18 when he wrote, “That unique declaration came to him, ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.”

Of course, St. Paul wrote many things that are beyond all price, but on this feast that he shares with Peter I like the passage where he scolded St. Peter. He was put out with Peter for eating only kosher to play up to the conservative Jews. His example had the Gentiles feeling they were wrong for eating their shellfish and pork. Calling Peter by its Greek equivalent of Kephas, he told the pope off. “I said to Kephas in sight of all, . . . how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”