Indispensable how?

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are for the Eucharistic liturgy to commemorate the Apostles Peter and Paul. Episode V, THE INDISPENSABLE MEN: PETER, PAUL AND THE MISSIONARY ADVENTURE, of the magnificent video series Catholicism is previewed by Father Robert Barron in his commentary on this feast day. In the account of the life of Peter from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the action of an angel of God to free Peter from imprisonment by Herod who was seeking to execute him. The psalmist praises God who finds ways to keep the righteous man from mortal harm. In the second letter to Timothy, Friar Jude Winkler indicates that Paul is aware of his coming martyrdom. His life has been poured out in marvellous service for Jesus. The journey of our life is the means whereby we are able to serve God and bring experience of His Love to others. When we review our path, we can see times when “but for the grace of God” a different outcome would have resulted from our actions. Like Peter, we can draw from our experience, events where the angel of God (perhaps our Guardian Angel?) has been an active force in the direction of our journey. Our response is thanksgiving. We can also identify with Peter at Caesarea Philippi as presented in the Gospel from Matthew when the insight of the nature of Jesus as Messiah, the Christ, comes not from the rational and considered reflection of this man but from an insight given by God to the environment of Love in which he finds himself in company with Jesus. Our response to the flash of insight from God is thanksgiving. We are capable as humans to put ourselves mentally in the place of Paul reflecting as He is on a life with a purpose. We pray that our acceptance of our mission guided by the angel of God and inspired by Divine insight will call out our “yes” to be glorified through suffering and humility as we run the race and fight the good fight.