Childhood memories can pop up at the most unexpected times. I was recently with a friend of mine, and he was sharing about the feast of Saints Peter and Paul which we just celebrated. He shared that his first recollection of Peter and Paul was Peter and Paul Mounds and Almond Joy candy! His Aunt would always place them in a bowl on a low table, so the children had easy access to them.
The detail he shared about the height of the tables stuck with me. When I think of the real Peter and Paul, they too started from the bottom up, they were reachable. When they were called, Jesus reached down to them and raised them up. Now let’s remember who we are speaking of – Peter the impetuous, and Paul the learned thinker. What a pair, and yet they are great, easily approachable examples for us.
As a high extrovert I often picture Peter as my go-to. Impetuous as he was, he truly loved Jesus, he just had to work hard at it! The same goes for me, but I know like Peter, Jesus will sometimes laugh at me or forgive me for my passionate ways. Does this sound like you too? Now we turn to Paul who was so well educated, and a thinker, dare I call him an introvert (just for argument’s sake). I think his learning may have made him opinionated and stubborn; hence why he need to eliminate those Christians who were messing up everything he had learned from the greatest of Rabbis. Any part of Paul ringing true for you too?
The Almond Joy and Mounds bar story got me thinking about how as humans we need to be approachable and that when God calls us, we come with all our flaws. Yet, God has a way of making saints of all of us. Just as it was with Sts. Peter and Paul, saint making doesn’t come without a struggle, some setbacks, failures, and sins. God always welcomes us back, takes us in his arms and loves us. Who we are is where we start and we can’t stop there. It’s who we are becoming that really counts. As the author Matthew Kelly often says, “be the BEST version of yourself.”
So, whether you are a Peter or Paul, Martha or Mary know that God loves you the way you are and will help you become your best self if we make ourselves accessible to Him.
Have a great week,
Sister Theresita
