Peter & Paul suffered martyrdom at Rome around the year 64.  It is believed that they did not die on the same day. Paul was beheaded and Peter was crucified upside down because he thought he wasn’t worthy to be crucified the same way that Christ had been.

Peter: The man who fell but rose again. Peter was the only disciple to deny Christ but he was restored & recommended by Jesus after his resurrection.  Peter became a leader of the church in its infancy.

Paul: The man who founded churches. Paul: went from being a  persecutor of Christians to being a  preacher

Paul was a tentmaker by trade. Peter: went from being a fisherman to being a follower of Christ.

       Both men were marked by God and called to ministry. In both cases God took them the way they were and transformed them into messengers of the Good News. Both of them responded to their call to ministry and because of their obedience they were used in great ways to reach others in the name of Jesus.

     When Luke wrote the Book of Acts, he focused the first half of his account entirely on Peter and the role he played in the founding of the Church.  The other half of Acts is focused on Paul’s missionary journeys.

     In the book of Acts, Peter & Paul are sort of like runners in a relay race; it was as if Peter carried the gospel during the 1^st lap, then handed it over to Paul, who finished the course. Peter & Paul glorified Christ in their death & in their life by their teaching & the example they set.  They answered God’s call.

     The feast of Peter & Paul is a very special day for me.  It was on this day 10 years ago that I answered the call to Priesthood.  It was on this day that I made my vows to God by promising to proclaim by word & deed the gospel of Jesus Christ, to fashion my life in accordance with its precepts.  To love & serve the people among whom I work, to care for the young & the old, the strong & the weak, the rich & the poor.  To preach & declare God’s blessing, to baptize, to celebrate the Eucharist.  To nourish Christ’s people from the riches of His grace, & strengthen them to glorify God in this life & in the life to come.  These were very serious promises with much responsibility & accountability attached to them. It was God’s call to the priesthood.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “call” as a summons or invitation.

     But God’s call is not just for Saints and Clergy.  It goes far beyond those perimeters.  God is calling each & every one of us.  Now you might be saying God’s not calling me into ministry.  Perhaps He isn’t calling you into the same kind of ministry as Peter & Paul and I, but God is calling people into some kind of ministry.  Each of us has something to offer God in terms of reaching out to others and building His kingdom.  Each of us has some particular God given gift that we are being called to use in the Church and beyond the church.  God has equipped each of us with certain talents & abilities that can be used for the glorification of Him and the Church. 

     You might say, but how can God use little ole me?  I have nothing to offer, nothing to give, I don’t have any talents or abilities.  God must be mistaken, He must be wrong; He must have over estimated me. This can’t be right, or can it? 

     Remember what day it is today, the feast of St. Peter & St. Paul. Remember what God did with Peter & Paul. They were unlikely candidates too.  Peter was a rugged fisherman and he probably smelled like fish.  But it was not what Peter was that interested Jesus, it was what Jesus saw in Peter.  Jesus named Peter “the rock”, but Peter certainly didn’t act like a rock much of the time, but Jesus wasn’t looking for models, he was looking for real people. He chose people who could be changed by his love, & then He sent them out to communicate that His acceptance was available to anyone–even to those who often fail. 

     We may wonder what Jesus sees in us when he calls us to follow him.  I know I did. But we know that Jesus accepts Peter despite his failures.  Peter went on to do great things for God.  And look at Paul. He was a persecutor of Christians but his personal encounter with Jesus changed his life. 

     I know that feeling as I’m sure you do. We know what it’s like to encounter Christ & how our life has never been the same since.  God does not waste our time– he will use our past & present so we may serve Him with our future.

Is God calling you today?

Let us ever be mindful of God’s voice in our lives & be ever listening for His direction & will for us now & forever. 

 Amen.