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Good morning.

Today is the feast day of St Peter and St Paul, a fact I only discovered recently. The reason for this particular choice of day is uncertain but clearly commemorates the fact that both of these early Christians were martyred for their faith.

Any reading of the lives of these saints quickly reveals that they were very different characters. Peter was an earthy, unschooled fisherman who followed Jesus from the beginning of his ministry and had a tendency to leap before looking. He witnessed the events of Jesus’ life and death firsthand and led the early group of believers who boldly proclaimed the radical gospel message after Pentecost. Paul, meanwhile, was converted dramatically on the Damascus Road when he encountered the living Christ and was transformed from radical persecutor to devout apostle. Erudite and passionate about his newly discovered faith, he spent the rest of his life travelling around the Mediterranean preaching and establishing churches.

Two very different men, yet it is fitting that they share a feast day. Both had a shared understanding of how God had turned their understanding of life upside down. Both had a zealous desire to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Both understood that the message they had been entrusted with could change the world. And both were willing to die for their beliefs.

The concept of martyrdom has been tarnished in recent years in its association with extremist beliefs and terrorist action. Peter and Paul represent the type of martyrdom that comes from living radical lives of love for God and for other people.

God,

Teach us to live with passion and love, with hope and assurance of a better eternity. 

Amen.