Faith and conviction

There is great pomp and pageantry in Rome this weekend. Every year on June 29th, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, newly appointed Archbishops throughout the world travel to Rome to be invested with the pallium, a woollen scarf that is worn over the liturgical vestiture as a sign of their union with the Bishop of Rome.

Forty-three pallia will be distributed this year by the pope, and there are two Canadian Archbishops counted among those who will receive them. To a casual onlooker, this liturgy appears to be an extravaganza, but the truths it speaks of tell a different tale. From the earliest times of the Church, Christians have made pilgrimages to the tombs of the apostles, and this is what the Archbishops are doing. They go to Rome to pray at the tombs of the great apostles Peter and Paul, and to express their unity with Peter’s successor.

In truth, the pallium is a symbol of service. Jesus himself appointed Peter as ‘chief among the apostles’ based on his profession of faith, spoken of in the gospel we heard today, ‘you are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Mt 16:16). This conviction could never have been arrived at if Peter had not first had the opportunity to know Jesus, to live with him, to hear his words, to struggle with the truths he spoke about the kingdom. Peter was a Jew, living under Roman occupation. He was well aware of the oppression with which the Empire ruled. He also knew that Jesus spoke of a different kind of power, born out of service to others, and strengthened not by force or might, but rather by love and forgiveness.

Even the possibility of imprisonment (Acts 12:1-4) did not stop Peter from speaking about Christianity. He boldly called other Jews to believe in a new way of living. Despite the threats of Herod and his army, he called friends and strangers alike to believe that every human being is sacred, that every one of us is loved and that each of us has a place in the eternal home called heaven.

The power and conviction of our faith also caused Saul of Tarsus to change his ways. The book of Acts recounts the fact that he was one of the early Church’s fiercest enemies, but after a dramatic conversion, he became one of the most prolific defenders of Christianity. Paul, a Roman by birth, became a messenger to the gentiles, traveling unceasingly for more than ten years to many parts of the known world. Because of his belief in the power of Christ, the Church also has a rich treasury of his writings contained in the Sacred Scriptures (2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18).

Beginning today, the entire Church throughout the world will observe a Pauline Year in honour of the bimillenium of the birth of Saint Paul. This year of special observance will conclude with the celebration of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul next year. Throughout this coming year, it would be fitting that we each take some time to deepen our knowledge and appreciation for the place Saint Paul has played in our faith history. We can do this by reading and studying the letters he wrote to various Christian communities, and asking for his intercession so that we too can develop the fervour of spirit that allowed him to preach to the gentiles and that enflamed both Paul and Peter with the conviction that lives on in the call to proclaim the value of mercy and divine love, a call given to each of us who call ourselves disciples of the living God.