The Flaws of Ss. Peter and Paul

Since Vatican II, the Catholic Church has renewed her liturgical, doctrinal and moral life. The first two aspects are expressed in the maxim: Lex orandi, lex credendi (The Law of Prayer is the Law of Faith: The Church believes as she prays.) Among the many reforms in her worship, the most obvious one is the celebration of masses in vernacular languages instead of Latin. However, there is also a less obvious one. The Catholic Church has canonized so many saints that  throughout the year, you can rarely find a single day without celebrating the life of a saint. In previous generations, Sunday masses would celebrate the feast of saints. However, Vatican II reforms bring the focus of Sunday masses back to the life and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. Feasts related to the life and ministry of Jesus would also be celebrated on Sundays. For example, the Feast of Annunciation. Today, the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul is another because these two apostles are the two pillars that help build up the Church.

In celebrating the lives of saints, the Church does not only remember their heroic martyrdom, or their contribution to the Church, but also show off their exemplary life, setting them as role models of the faithful to follow. However, I would like to take another route. That is why I deliberately entitled this page as "The Flaws of Ss. Peter and Paul" instead of "The Merits ..."
If saints are so holy, they are unreachable. We cannot be like them. If saints are so perfect, they are standing on high moral grounds which we mere mortals cannot reach. We can only admire them from afar. What is the use of canonizing so many saints? However, if they exhibit human flaws, they are no different from us. If they can be saints, we too can be saints.

I am arrogant. I like challenging authorities. I enjoy seeing them humiliated.
However, I keep my hope in eternity. When James and John asked to sit on the two sides of Jesus when his kingdom came, Jesus left the seats open. The Father would decide (Mark 10:40). That is to say, there will be no match fixing. The Father would decide. It is still open to all. Ss. Peter and Paul, Ss. James and John are heavy weight contenders. But we, modern day Christians can still occupy.

Ss. Peter and Paul are good role models despise their flaws. Therefore, the flawed us are able to attain the privileged seats. St. Paul persecuted the early Church because he thought that Christians were heretics in believing in two Gods. St. Peter has the passion to lay down his life for Jesus. But he was flawed. He tried to dissuade Jesus when Jesus told them that he would die in the hands of the Jewish authority. In return, Jesus scolded him for he had fallen into Satan's influence (Mark 8:33). Moreover, out of fear, he denied Jesus three times. Jesus did not condemn Peter, nor Judas. Unfortunately, Judas committed suicide and did not allow God to forgive him. Peter managed to survive Jesus' passion. In the end, Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved him more than the others (John 21:15-17). When the Catholic Church declared the infallibility of the Pope, many Protestants were unhappy and quoted the Antioch incident to "prove" that the first Pope made mistakes (Galatians 2:11-14). In fact, it was not a mistake. Peter demonstrated the virtue of prudence and charity which St Paul condoned as well (1 Corinthians 10:23-33). The Antioch incident was not a flaw of St. Peter.
When Peter was canonized a saint, we too are able to attain sainthood.

Sweet Jesus, you love flawed humanity. Grant us the grace to overcome evil. Amen.