As we celebrate the feast of these two early pioneers of the Christian community, what stands out is the fact that the Lord stood by them in all the difficulties that they faced as a result of their decision to follow Jesus and share in His ministry.

Yet if we look back at their early lives, we see them as mere mortals rather than the spiritual giants that they finally became. Peter who denied Christ thrice hardly seems to be a likely candidate to be the rock on which Jesus was to found His Church. Likewise, Paul the great persecutor of Christians was initially viewed with suspicion when he suddenly switched camps and then went on to be the apostle of the Gentiles.

Despite their own personal frailty, God was able to work in and through them, transforming their lives in a way that even they would not have been able to envisage. In turn, they learnt to trust and rely in the Lord, aware that the One who had sent them would not abandon them. They also learnt that it was God who gave them power and so they learnt to rely less on their own strengths and capabilities.

Today let us realise that we too are called and sent by the Lord to be His apostles in the places where we live and work. Yet this call may seem too challenging and daunting to us, unless we learn to rely on God for strength and power. By ourselves, it may seem a lost cause, but with God all things are possible!