Peter, Paul & PalliumRead Time 10 min

Peter the Apostle — Paul the teacher of the Gentiles — these two have instructed us in the law of love that is to be written on our hearts.

But the human heart is a complicated thing, isn’t it? How does one really go about truly understanding it? It is that center part of each of us that at times can be a source of conundrums and contradictions even on our best days. The words of the Italian poet Antonio Porchia (1885-1968) come to mind: “In a full heart there is room for everything — and in an empty heart there is room for nothing.”

In remembering lives of St. Peter and St. Paul, we can see that God used their particular personalities and approaches, including their differences, to spread the Gospel. Hopefully, this is a source of encouragement that we do not have to be perfect — at least not yet. Even these greats got things wrong. But God can work through us and sometimes even in spite of us as he did with Peter and Paul. God calls us to servanthood — to be willing to get out of the way — and live in service of the Gospel and of each other.

Peter was the impetuous one, a spur of the moment kinda guy, often putting his foot in it, so to speak. But sometimes through that spontaneity he would get it right, especially when addressing the question — “But who do you say that I am?” Peter was spot on — indeed, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Paul, on the other hand, was more of a strategist, concerned with the big picture both in his time as Saul when persecuting the Christians and then as Paul the missionary for Christ. But it was through the missionary journeys of Paul that numerous small groups of people seeking to follow the way of Jesus were nurtured into life. We are on mission after all.

Peter was a fisherman, used to hard manual labor; Paul was a scholar, trained as a Pharisee — though also a tent maker. Peter was a disciple who knew Jesus personally and was taught by Jesus for several years as he wandered through Galilee and Judea; Paul, to the best of our knowledge, never met Jesus in the flesh and was initially hostile to his teaching as the Acts of the Apostles recounts.

Peter first met Jesus as a man and responded immediately to his call; Paul came face to face with the Risen Christ, but it took a dramatic experience before responding to the call of his Lord. Peter was taken to Rome by his captors; Paul, using his Roman citizenship, insisted on a trial in Rome. The focus of Peter’s apostleship was to the Jews; for Paul, it was to the Gentiles.

There is something quite comforting in recognizing the differences between these two men, and yet they are commemorated together each year on June 29. No doubt they did not see eye to eye about everything that was going on in the early Christian community, not least the status of Jewish law and the place of Gentiles. Even so, their differences did not prevent them from working tirelessly for the same cause: Namely, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God as initiated through the life, ministry, Death and Resurrection of Jesus whom they recognized as their Lord and Savior. That shared passion inevitably meant that, despite their differences, they shared much in common. What a novel ability given the current climate far too often on display in our churches and nation.

And then of course there is the pallium. It is a 3-inch-wide woolen band with 14-inch strips hanging down the front and the back, worn as a liturgical vestment that symbolizes both unity with the pope and service to the people of God. The strips hanging down the front and back of the pallium are tipped with black silk to recall the dark hooves of the sheep that the archbishop is symbolically carrying over his shoulders.

In 1983, St. John Paul II when addressing a group of new archbishops stated that the pallium is “a symbol of privileged communion with the successor of Peter, principle and visible foundation of unity in the field of doctrine, discipline and pastoral work.” The sainted pope continued by emphasizing that the pallium signifies “a greater commitment to love for Christ and for souls. Such love for the flock of Christ, shepherd and guardian of our souls, will help you carry out your ministry of service. The doctrine you offer will be fruitful if nourished by love.”

Just two Sundays ago (June 29), Pope Leo XIV took up the same theme as he focused on the nature of ecclesial communion. He stated:

Awakened by the inspiration of the Spirit, it unites differences and builds bridges of unity thanks to the rich variety of charisms, gifts and ministries. It is important that we learn to experience communion in this way — as unity within diversity — so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel. We are called to persevere along this path, following the example of Peter and Paul, since all of us need that kind of fraternity. The whole Church needs fraternity, which must be present in all of our relationships, whether between lay people and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the Pope. Fraternity is also needed in pastoral care, ecumenical dialogue and the friendly relations that the Church desires to maintain with the world. Let us make an effort, then, to turn our differences into a workshop of unity and communion, of fraternity and reconciliation, so that everyone in the Church, each with his or her personal history, may learn to walk side by side.

We must learn to work together — with undivided hearts — with “full” hearts — if we are ever to accomplish anything in the Lord’s name.