The Fisherman and the Pharisee
Michiel Peeters - Today, June 29, is the day when, according to an old tradition, both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome, although in different years, between 64 and 67 AD. They are very different people. Peter was a fisherman from Capernaum, situated by the Lake of Galilee, and was likely illiterate. Together with his brother Andrew and their companions, the brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee, he ran a small fishing business. Until the day they left everything to follow that rabbi from Nazareth, who had profoundly impressed them with the way he spoke to the depths of their strivings, awakened their hearts, educated their yearning, and began to fulfill it with his extraordinary presence.
Paul was a Pharisee from Tarsus in Cilicia (now Southeast Turkey), infused with both Jewish and Greek culture, who had studied with the great scribe Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He hoped to gain his salvation by being zealous for the traditions of his people, so much so that as a young man he cheered for the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, and later actively persecuted the followers of Jesus, whom he considered heretics. The French Dominican Adrien Candiard has written a beautiful booklet on Paul’s spiritual journey, titled The Letter to Philemon, which, unfortunately, has not yet been published in English. However, it is available in French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. If you know one of those languages, it can be an excellent read for summer.
What unites Peter and Paul? Certainly, their death in distant, giant Rome, but indeed their lives: both were grasped by the present, risen Lord and left everything behind because, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Philippians (3:8), compared to the experience of Him, everything else appeared to be so much rubbish.
The Lord had said to Peter: “When you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” “Follow me.” And Peter’s life consisted of following the Lord, seeking His presence, and going wherever He led him, even to Rome.
Paul crossed the seas, likely even to Spain, to communicate what he had received and to spend his life making Christ known until he was arrested and sent to Rome. Peter was killed during the persecution of Emperor Nero, probably nailed to the cross—upside down, because out of humility, he did not want to die in the same way as Jesus. Afterwards, his body was burned. This likely occurred in the Hippodrome on Vatican Hill, as Peter’s remains were buried in the Vatican Necropolis; later, the Vatican Basilica was built on his tomb.
Paul, who had Roman citizenship, could not be executed by crucifixion but had the “privilege” of being beheaded at a place called the Three Fountains, outside the city walls. He was buried nearby, and later, the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls was built over his tomb.
There is no difference between those two and us. We share the same humanity; we have the same needs, and Jesus has crossed our paths and spoken to our hearts, awakening, educating, and fulfilling them. Let us ask for the intercession of Peter and Paul so that we may also follow our Lord until the end of the world, all the while bringing him to as many people as possible.
