Middle of Summer

Celebrating the feasts of our founding fathers

06/29/2023

Mt 16:13-19 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

There is a strange but significant coincidence in the calendar that occurs every June and July. At the end of June, on the 29th, we celebrate the dual feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul. And at the beginning of July, on the 4th, we celebrate American Independence Day. Arguably the two greatest leading lights of the first generation of Americans were George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

And just like Washington and Jefferson were the principal founding fathers of our country, so, too, Peter and Paul were the founding apostles of the Church. I would like to draw out a few parallels between these two pairs of exceptional leaders that might help us love our Church and our country a little more in the middle of the summer.

The first point to mention in this parallel is that in each pair one man was a fighter and the other was the thinker. We all know how George Washington was the fearless general who led American forces to victory against the British crown. Washington loved this nation so much he was willing to lay down his life for her. Henry Lee wrote in Washington’s funeral eulogy: “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of all Americans.”

Similarly, St. Peter’s personality was pugilistic, too. He told Jesus in no uncertain terms he was ready to die for him. And Peter was the one in the Garden of Gethsemane who pulled out his sword to defend his Lord. Both Washington and St. Peter were men of action, ready to fight and even die for the ones they loved. It should surprise no one, therefore, that one would be elected as this country’s first president, and the other would be chosen to be our first pope.

The other two men in these pairs were the intellectual giants who fought with their words and pen and paper. St. Paul and Thomas Jefferson both believed, in a sense, that the pen is mightier than the sword. Jefferson was the primary author of the masterfully written Declaration of Independence. He helped formulate the stipulations of the Constitution, a model for all democracies. He established the University of Virginia.

St. Paul wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, almost 30% of what we know about early Christianity came from Paul’s inspired pen. That is, Paul and Jefferson were articulating with words and concepts what Peter and Washington were putting in place by their bravery and their sacrifices.

Another fascinating parallel is that both pairs of men came in contact with the Holy Bible, in one way or another. Washington began the laudable custom of the president placing his left hand on the Bible while making his oath of office. All subsequent presidents have followed that example.

A more dubious accomplishment was Jefferson’s own version of the Bible. In an effort to cut out all the embellishments – what he thought was inaccurate or superfluous – Jefferson with razor and glue cut out the parts of the New Testament he thought was inauthentic and historically untrue, that is, the miracles, the virgin birth, the resurrection, etc. That cut-and-paste version is commonly called The Jefferson Bible. We don’t use that for Bible studies here at the parish.

Of course, as I said, Paul authored thirteen of the New Testament letters, or 14 if you include Hebrews. Peter, for his part, added two brilliant letters in the New Testament. Together, Peter and Paul, were the human authors of 15 (or perhaps 16) of the New Testament books, which constitutes well over half of the New Testament.

Each man in his own way, but all four men in common, shared their reverence and deep regard for the Sacred Scriptures as the inspired Word of God. Whatever you may think about the Bible, it is a book you cannot ignore. It is the foundational text for our country, and for our Church.

Like with all analogies, this parallelism between these two pairs of founding fathers also limps and is imperfect. How so? Jesus says to Peter in the gospel today: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” That is, the future of the Church is guaranteed by Christ himself.

However, Jesus did not make that same promise to the United States of America, or to any other nation, no matter how Christian they may claim to be. This weekend let us pray fervently for our Church and our nation. How blessed we are to have had such brilliant and dedicated founding fathers. May we not betray them, or what they built.

Praised be Jesus Christ!