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The solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul presents us with
our original heroes who inspire by their faith and zeal.
Otherwise ordinary people made extraordinary by grace,
they were undaunted by the threats to their lives (Acts
12:1-11). They lived by their faith in the person and
power of Jesus, the Christ (Matthew 16:13-19).
Pawns in
the politics of the powerful
Herod
Agrippa I, the grandson of the hated Herod the Great,
had ordered the beheading of James, John’s brother and
the leader of the Christian community in Jerusalem. His
escalation of the persecution of the followers of Jesus
ingratiated him with the Pharisees, who were determined
to snuff out the “heretical sectarians.” The disfavor in
which he was held by the Jewish people because he was
the lackey of the Roman overlords made Herod eager to
curry the favor of the leaders of the people.
A
victim, as well, of the antagonism of the Jewish leaders
and of the pusillanimity of the king, Peter, the
recognized leader of the Apostles, was in prison facing
the same fate as James. When Herod Agrippa saw that the
execution of James pleased the Jews, he proceeded to
have Peter arrested, too. The full action against Peter,
however, had been delayed due to the celebration of the
Passover. The king intended to present Peter to the
people after the Passover.
Saved by
divine intervention
The
impossibility of Peter’s situation underscored the
wondrous character of his liberation. As the community
of believers stormed heaven with their prayers for the
prisoner, Peter continued to be incarcerated and chained
to two soldiers. He was, in fact, asleep when the rescue
took place, and thought he was only dreaming. He had the
deep confidence of one who had abandoned himself to
God’s power and purpose.
The
freeing of Peter was entirely God’s doing. The presence
of an angel, Peter’s passivity in what transpired, the
dropping of chains from his wrists, the gates opening by
themselves and the double sets of guards seemingly
oblivious of everything served to illustrate what the
early Christian community understood that the sparing of
Peter was due to divine intervention.
The
netherworld would not prevail
Bound to
the early Christians’ evolving understanding of Jesus
was their evolving understanding of themselves as a
community. The confession of Peter as to the identity of
Jesus has been coupled with the “confession” of Jesus
concerning His future followers, the Church as the new
and eschatological Israel and the expression in the
present of the Coming and Eternal Kingdom of God. The
Heavenly Father alone could reveal to Peter the true
understanding of Jesus as Messiah and the Son of the
living God, correcting all the popular notions about
Him.
Jesus
then assumed the role that had been God’s alone in the
Old Testament (as in changing the name of Abram, who was
referred to Isaiah 51:1-2 as the rock from which Israel
had been hewn), giving Peter a new title and a new
mandate. As the “rock,” Peter would personify in his
leadership the stability and reliability of the new
foundation, the everlasting community of the last days
Jesus was clearly establishing. The giving of the keys
means authority conferred; he would lead the people of
God into the kingdom, unlike the Pharisees who “shut the
doors of the kingdom in men’s faces” (Matthew 23:13).
Founded on faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, Peter
would have the teaching authority of “binding and
loosing” that would guide and protect the ecclesial
community against all the destructive efforts of the
netherworld.
Alálaong
bagá,
in the world and for the service of humankind, the
Church has to be always ready to be embroiled in the
political circumstances of the day. The execution of
James and the imprisonment of Peter belonged to the
pernicious efforts of political forces bent on pursuit
of its own interests. But it is obvious that the fate of
the Church is all in God’s hand, and is not delivered to
the political maneuverings of human potentates. The
forces of the netherworld cannot encircle the Church.
The two pillars on which Christianity was built, Peter,
associated with the original community in Jerusalem, and
Paul, with the gentile converts, represent the
universality of the Church. And the red vestment worn on
this day symbolizes the price of martyrdom the
commitment of these heroes of the faith exacted from
them. The emphasis is not on their offices or powers,
but on the character of their witness of faith. It is
remarkable how the grace of God can turn individuals
otherwise weak in faith to be champions for the cause of
the gospel. When the testimony of Christian witnesses
becomes too much a challenge to the world, the lives of
witnesses come into jeopardy. In numerous places in the
world today, modern martyrs are called upon to pay the
ultimate price for their Christian faith. The Church,
then in the earliest years as today, is strengthened by
the blood of the martyrs.
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