(August 25, 2016)
As I may have written in an earlier blog, I have been reading Catholicism by Bishop Robert Barron. (If there is a book you could start with, I suggest this book) And in it he writes about the Spirit of St. Paul and St. Peter, the pillars of the Catholic Church.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
– Matthew 16:18
If we look at them separately, first with St. Peter, we know he stood for “office, structure, hierarchy, and headship” all of which were ways the Catholic church is ordered to achieve its purpose. With St. Peter, we have the foundation of the church, as Jesus called Peter the rock, a stable foundation so strong that nothing would prevail against it.
So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
– Acts 9:17
Opposite of St. Peter, we look at St. Paul. We all know of his conversion story and we know from his letters, that St. Paul stood for mission, engagement of the culture, and proclamation. And with St. Paul, as Bishop Barron says, every missionary, teacher, preacher and theologian are a son or daughter of Paul.
We know St. Paul and St. Peter as the pillars of the Catholic Church. Why? Because without the Petrine discipline, Pauline work would be all over the place and would be in danger of dissolution. On the other hand, without the Pauline energy, the Petrine work would become “cold management and ecclesiastical bureaucracy.” And so together, in tensive harmony, the church continued to grow through time, expanding to the far regions of the world.
As I read on, I couldn’t help but look at my own life and saw how I did not have that same tensive harmony. Instead I operated strictly with a Petrine discipline, consumed by the planning and maintenance of order and structure in my life. As a result, my life had slowly become robotic, procedural and cold-like programmed management of all my responsibilities. Even though I would be willing to go on mission trips (before I became an MV) and serve God every time I am called, on a personal and spiritual level, I never engaged and challenged myself. Aside from going to Mass every Sunday, everything else was an occasional instance. Most of it depending on how I felt or how ‘willing’ I was to pray, AKA how lazy I was.
And so to find that balance, I challenged myself to learn more about my faith. Whether it be taking classes/courses in university about the history of the Catholic church, listening to podcasts, reading books, I have been able to find a deeper appreciation and understanding of all the things that I do as a Catholic. So in regards to the Petrine discipline and Pauline work, I relate Petrine discipline to the skeletal structure of my faith (Sacraments, prayer, adoration) and Pauline work to the supplemental things I look to to help further my spiritual journey (courses, books, podcasts). And it’s a balance wherein both in tandem builds to something with a strong foundation and fruitful growth.
So find that balance of both, challenge yourself to learn more while still building the very foundation of your faith through the sacraments. If I hadn’t started reading books, then I wouldn’t have read about the pillars of the Catholic Church. Start in small steps, gradual adding more and more as you grow.
For those looking for podcasts, I suggest: Ignitecast, Catholic Stuff You Should Know and Word on Fire. For those looking for books, I can only suggest Catholicism (by Bishop Robert Barron) since it’s the only book I’ve been reading haha. Challenge yourselves to learn more than the bare minimum.
St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us.
AMDG.