Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Even though these two great saints of the early church died on different days, in different years and in different ways why do we celebrate their feast together? Some people jokingly would say that because while on Earth they could not get along with each other, God joined them together in heaven. Yes, it is true that these two individuals were very different from each other in every way except in their love for our Lord Jesus Christ and in their commitment and dedication to the mission entrusted to them.
Some argue that these two Saints Peter and Paul were at odds with each other and did not get along. They had some strong differences of opinion as to how to go about preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For exemple: Peter was rebuked by Paul when he started treating Jewish Christians better than the Gentile Christians. Speaking about Paul, Saint Peter writes that Paul says a great many things that are difficult to understand.
Friends, what is the message for us?
The characters of these two great men show that they were only very human. They were not perfect. And yet they were determined to spread the faith. What makes them great witnesses of faith is that they did not give up the struggle when they realized their imperfections and encountered hardships. They were willing to make any amount of sacrifices for their love for Jesus and his teaching. It is a reminder for us that the essence of Christianity is loyalty to Christ and fidelity in carrying out his teachings even in the face of difficulty and hardships.
In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and Paul: “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”