I'm talking about Peter and Paul you
know there are many people in the early
church that are of key importance think
of you know Timothy and Titus you think
of someone like Silas or Barnabas think
of Mary Magdalene
but the really indispensable figures are
Peter and Paul
it's interesting how from the very early
days the church they're often depicted
in I cannae graffia and so on embracing
the church brings these two figures
together Rome becomes such an important
figure not just because of Peter but
because of Peter and Paul both these
great apostles died in that city and so
the coming together of these two figures
is important for the church's self
understanding I put it this way they
represent fundamental archetypes in the
life of the church Peter represents
office order direction which I mean well
go back to the Cezary of Philip I a
moment when Jesus asks who do people say
that I am and some say Elijah some say
John the Baptist come back from the dead
and you who do you say that I am and the
disciples remain silent until Peter
speaks you are the Christ the Son of the
Living God and Jesus acknowledges this
has come not from flesh blood this has
come from my heavenly father Peter's
confession the clarity of his confession
is the ground for his office he's the
leader of the twelve precisely in the
measure that he clearly knows who Jesus
is and confesses that now up and down
the centuries I would say every priest
every bishop every Cardinal every Pope
anyone in leadership in the church is a
descendant of Peter participates in this
archetype in this office at the heart of
which is clarity about Jesus see here's
the thing without the P trying element
without the element of Peter the church
would separate it would just it would
fall into its component
it would devolve into a cantankerous
debating society that's why the P trying
office up and down the centuries has
been so important for the integrity of
the church and it's um its structure its
identity so there's the P track side
but Peter embraces Paul the two belong
together because Paul represents a
balancing archetype in the life of the
church namely theology speculation
evangelization the engagement of the
culture the missionary impulse think of
Paul on the move Paul establishing
churches but not staying to lead them
that'd be more of a Pete Ryan office
Paul would establish them through his
evangelization then he would move on he
write letters back to them to direct
them but his main task was to move
around the Roman world and to engage the
culture to argue to write to
theologizing in fact Paul clearly is the
first great theologian in the life of
the church the first one to practice
this subtle art of faith seeking
understanding Peter and Paul together
gives the church its energy and impetus
and life integrity and creativity if you
want to put it that way John Henry
Newman talks about the development of
doctrine
dr. remains substantially itself yes but
it develops over time that means it it
unfolds it displays its different
aspects new profiles emerge and that
happens through the play of lively minds
so doctrine is not like a football that
we simply pass tumbling from one
generation to another doctrine rather is
entertained in this play of lively minds
and through the ongoing conversation in
the life of the church that's the Paul
line element that gives the church its
kind of Verve and energy and creativity
that makes it relevant to different
generations up and down the centuries
now to be sure without the p-train
element
the Pauling element will run amok and
the church will simply again devolve
into a debating society it will become a
sort of philosophical discussion group
what the Pauling element needs is the
patron element for order but the patron
element needs the pall line lest the
church this is Newman again become
petrified it becomes stony and lifeless
Peter and Paul embracing one another
that's the model for the church
just one more image again from Newman
think of an animal he says that survives
by assimilating its environment if the
animal lost its integrity
it lost its structure its form it would
simply be overwhelmed by the environment
think of something which is died which
soon just devolves back into the
environment by the same token if the
animal lacks the capacity to take in its
environment it will die as well it's the
careful balance between integrity and
the capacity for assimilation that
allows the animal to survive well the
church as Paul himself said it's an
organism it's a body like any living
body it needs both structure and the
capacity for growth and assimilation
that's the Petri element the Paul line
element one of the ways to read the
history of the church is the the
sometimes unhappy play between these two
elements when they're kept in their
proper relationship when Peter and Paul
as we see in the icons embrace then the
church is dynamically alive