Sunday 30 June 2024
Solemnity of Ss Peter & Paul
Matthew 16:13-19
The tension that Paul and Peter hold is one that fascinates me. They need one another to balance each other out and yet it can be harrowing when the tension is strained. From all accounts, Peter was inclined to impulsive outbursts and Paul certainly didn’t mince his words. Yet from this tension a synodality emerged that was prevalent in the early church (Acts 15) and allowed dissenting voices to coexist and indeed find common ground.
Listening to the frenzied voices in the current election campaign, I often have to switch them off and wonder what our world would be like if politics was more synodal in nature. A student at my school commented today that they admired the leader of the Reform party although they didn’t think he should be prime minister but that his voice should be heard. Whatever my political views are, the student was right in that we shouldn’t exist in an echo chamber and that dialogue between even the most extreme of views should be possible. Perhaps Peter and Paul show us that if we have a path rooted in Christ, even the most recalcitrant of us may find a commonality that transcends our own intractability and allows us to move forward together to create something new for the common good.