Peter and Paul

June 29^th is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. Peter always fascinated me. Growing up Presbyterian, we would read how Peter left his work as a fisherman to follow Jesus. Peter was very human and as I child I had pity on Peter, who seemed to have the best of intentions but who would make a mess of things. I remember a few coloring books depicting Jesus rescuing a sinking Peter, who had attempted to follow Christ in walking on the water. Coloring Peter's hair brown, I would scold him saying “Why didn't you stay in the boat, Peter, where it is safe? You're not Jesus. You can't walk on water.” When I was older and started to attend Passion plays, Peter's denial of Jesus always affected me. “Peter, how could you? After all the time you spent with Jesus and how you professed how much you loved Him, how could you deny Him so easily?” I would think this thought to myself every time I witnessed that scene. I did not realize at the time how dead I was inside. I professed a risen Lord but I was completely detached by what that meant.

Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection were events that had happened in the past. I professed that they were true and that they did happen.  But to then admit that He is still very alive and very present here on this Earth NOW. Well, I have to admit I was worse than Peter. I wasn't denying Jesus. I was in denial.

Paul was also featured in my coloring books. A light shining on Paul and Paul looking stunned. A horse in the background on hind legs depicting that he had just knocked off his rider. Whenever, Paul's conversion story was read at church service, we always rejoiced that Paul had found Jesus and no longer persecuted Christians. Hallelujah a sinner has been saved that is the end of the story and what a happy ending!  Sadly, Paul's story is so much more than when he was knocked off his horse that event is the beginning for Paul. Paul's writings depict a man who is passionate about Our Lord and who is on fire to share the gospel with everyone. Saul (Paul) was intelligent and educated in the Jewish law (the Pharisees and chief priests held in him in great respect for his knowledge), he was a great orator and knew how to move a crowd and he was driven by the idea of complete destruction of those who claimed to be Christian. Upon his conversion, Paul used these same gifts towards proclaiming Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah.

One way to appreciate St. Paul is to spend some time just reading a letter of his. They are filled with passion, reason and love. I had the privilege in being in a show where St. Paul's words were brought to life. I traveled with a show called The Journey of St. Paul and I played a variety of characters that Paul encounters throughout his ministry, but my main character was Queen Bernice. As an actor you need to actively listen to your fellow actors. So as Queen Bernice I actively listened to Paul's words, which were taken from his letters. How can you not listen to Paul's words and not be changed especially when the actor portraying Paul understood what Paul was trying to say? I know that I was not the only one affected by our show, for many people in the audience would come up to us in tears afterwards.  Our audience members saw Jesus alive and working through us in
The Journey of St. Paul, but Jesus was alive and working in the people we encountered on tour too.

On tour, I had the privilege of encountering people living their faith in their daily lives being silent witnesses in their work and words. Jesus was not just for Sunday for these people but daily. I was stunned to discover this kind of devotion to Jesus existed. I probably looked like the Paul from my childhood coloring book. This devotional life made me desire it for myself.  Once I had witnessed the Consecration of the Host my desire to know more only grew. I did not understand what had taken place, but I knew that all those around me believed it to be Jesus and that my heart was agreeing that Christ was indeed alive and right before me. The True Presence was present right in front of me!  That idea alone woke me up and knocked me down off my “high horse”.

I like to joke that Paul, who was a convert and who converted many in his own time is still helping converts to this day.

 The first cast of The Journey of St. Paul at our first show.  7am in Cincinnati, OH

St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us!