Apostles

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn Discipleship, Faith, Hope, inclusivity, Mary, spirituality

June 29, 2026
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

St. Paul’s in Rome
St Peters Basilica in Rome

Peter and Paul – names that embody the foundation of Catholic magisterium, those who offered initial inspiration and counsel to the early life of the Gospel. The celebration of their feast today engenders deep reflection on the themes of faith, and of authority and tradition in the Church.

That reflection is intended to give believers confidence in all that the Apostles’ Creed proclaims: the Trinity, Incarnation, Paschal Mystery, Baptismal Salvation, and Eternal Life – and of its pristine transmission through the millennia.

Over the course of 2000 years, this confidence has been enshrined in cathedrals and encyclicals, in the declaration of saints and the condemnation of heretics. It has been studied in Scripture and edited in the candlelit scriptoria of the Middle Ages.

It is a living confidence that ever struggles against the mumification of theological reactionaries and misspellings of semi-literate interpreters. It is a confidence that, while hallowed and foundational, bears the taint of uncontested patriarchy and obdurate dogmatism.

For some of us, particularly women, who deeply love the Church, today’s feast can be a source of discomforting reflection.

  • What if the deposit of faith had been predominantly sourced and interpreted, not only through men like Peter and Paul, but through the experience of Mary, Mother of Jesus and First of the Apostles? Or of Mary Magdalen, Apostle to the Apostles on Easter morning?
  • What if the women who quietly nurtured the work of the Gospel, who gathered and sustained the churches of the first Christian millennium, had not had their insights disappear in a flood of masculine ink?
  • What if another four evangelists had been Mary, Mary Magdalen, the woman at the Well and the deacon Phoebe?
  • What if rampant patriarchy had not been inextricably threaded through Catholic tradition?

How would the Church be different today if any of those things had happened?

Of course, they didn’t happen. But how would the Church be different today if those who held influence had included these testimonies? What if Peter and Paul had demanded that the only true apostolic succession came through Peter, Paul, … and Mary?

Hats off to the great Saints Peter and Paul! And wistful hearts raised to our “Marys”!

Music: What Wondrous Thing – Jann Aldredge Clanton

What wondrous thing is happening here
where minds and souls are opening?
The scales fall off our blinded eyes;
new sight arouses hoping.

A new thing springs forth on the earth
with blessing, hope, and healing;
the power of woman saves all life,
Sophia-Christ revealing.

Epiphany surrounds us now,
as we reclaim our wholeness;
Sophia-Christ within us all
inspires us with new boldness.

Refrain:
Look, look, for She is here;
Her wisdom words have long been near.
Now, now, behold Her grace,
Divinity in Her image.

Suggested Scripture: Romans 16:1-16

Click for Scripture

For Your Reflection:

  • What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
  • Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ? 
  • What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?

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