Spiritual Reflection – Feast of St Peter and St Paul

How do our vulnerabilities and hardships shape us to respond to God’s invitation into life?

St Peter’s life witnesses to the freedom of embracing our brokenness and how in that brokenness, we are loved by our God who was broken for us. Peter, who had a strong spirit, yet so many frailties and mistakes, gives us hope in the midst of our messy humanity. St Paul’s life shows us how to acknowledge our times of darkness and persevere through hardships (even if we are feeling metaphorically shipwrecked, imprisoned, or persecuted). Paul also encourages us to use our gifts for the upbuilding of the community around us, and to live within a context of hope.

The feast of St Peter and St Paul also reminds us of the importance of sharing our faith, despite our vulnerabilities and hardships. We share in the same life of the Trinity as Peter and Paul; so as we acknowledge God’s presence with us always, how do we respond by inviting others into an encounter with the love of God?

If we let God be God in our lives, we know that we need to allow space for others to be our brothers and sisters. One of the most effective ways to give people that space in our lives is to have authentic loving relationships, where people are truly listened to. We can first start with our own family members, students and colleagues. By listening and respecting the joys and hopes, griefs and challenges of those in our community, we acknowledge the presence of God in each other. This kind of living witness models the way Jesus, Peter and Paul loved others - through intentional relationships, with great respect. Respect comes from the Latin word ‘spectare’ which means ‘to look’, and ‘re’ means ‘again’; so as we ‘re-spect’ we need to ‘look again’ - beyond our initial judgements to the unique dignity of each human being.

When we obey Jesus’ command to “love your neighbour as yourself”, we invite others to be part of the life of the Trinity alongside us. Sometimes we think we need to be perfect to be able to invite others into God’s loving embrace. But the opposite is true; like St Peter and St Paul we can make living the Gospel accessible for others by acknowledging that we are imperfect. We each have our own vulnerabilities and hardships that shape us.

Social researcher Brene Brown states: “You’re imperfect, you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” How can we acknowledge the imperfection yet immense worth of ourselves, our students, our colleagues, and our community?

Today we ask God for the grace to accept our imperfections, strength to endure our hardships and vulnerabilities, and love to continue the missionary journey of St Peter and St Paul.

St Peter and St Paul, pray for us.